The Fifth
by Gemmi92
Summary: Everyone knows there are four Inbetweeners but what if there was a fith one? And a girl? And Gilbert's daughter?
1. First Day

"You are just full of complete bullshit Jay," Simon commented as he took a seat next to Jay in the common room and rolled his eyes in belief.

"Believe what you want, but whilst you spent the last month sat dreaming about Carli I've become the master of shagging," Jay leant back against the blue chair and he looked to his left at the girl sat next to him and nodded.

"Because that's not shit at all," Simon leant his head back and said.

"Go on then Emma. Tell us of your amazing holiday. Shagged anyone good?" Jay asked and Neil chuckled next to Simon. Emma raised her brow at Jay and gave him a smirk of disbelief.

"You have to be completely vile Jay Cartwright?" she asked him and he grinned proudly.

"I'll take that as a no. Has daddy not been letting you out?" Jay laughed.

"Actually he has been quite nice this holiday. Until the other week when he realised he had to come back to this place," Emma told Jay who chuckled.

"Oh God. Having your dad as head of sixth form is going to be amazing! The things we're going to get away with!" Jay high fived Neil.

"Don't count on it. He dislikes you already from what he's heard of you and don't think I'll stick up for you if you do anything wrong," Emma warned Jay and she stood up and slung her leather satchel over her shoulder.

"You coming Simon?" Emma asked and Simon stood up and picked his bag up.

"Where are you going?" Jay asked them.

"Form. Where you should be off too," Emma scolded him and she pushed a strand of her long brown curly hair behind her ear and began walking down the corridors with Simon.

"So did you have a good holiday?" Simon asked seriously.

"Shockingly shit if I have to be honest. Dad hardly did anything and I just went out with you lot," Emma answered him honestly and he nodded.

"But we're back now...you coming to the pub tonight?" Simon asked and Emma snorted and readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"Don't be daft. What do you think he would do to me if I went along?" Emma asked as she held the door open for Simon to catch.

"Good point," he admitted and they walked into the form room.

"Besides. I don't fancy listening to more of Jay's bullshit if I am honest," she said and Simon chuckled as he took a seat next to her.

"So you think he's lying too?" he asked and Emma looked Simon in the eye and raised her brow.

"Of course he's lying Si. Have you heard the crap he comes out with?" Emma asked.

"And that Gilbert! What a tosser! Oooh look at me; I'm Mr Gilbert and I just love to suck the headmasters balls," a sudden voice shouted across the room and Emma and Simon looked up onto a boy who was wearing a larger green badge and he was stood laughing awkwardly into the room as everyone watched in disbelief. Emma listened to him and then she stood up and stared harshly at the teen.

"And you are...?" Emma asked him and he looked at his feet nervously.

"Will McKenzie," he answered and Emma nodded.

"And you have a problem with Mr Gilbert, Will?" she checked and he stared straight at her this time.

"And why would that be bad?" he asked and Emma heard Simon groan below her on his seat and Emma smirked.

"Because he's my father and he's behind you," Emma said and sure enough Will slowly turned round and looked straight into the face of Mr. Gilbert. Emma sat down and folded her arms over her chest and continued to glare at Will as he slowly took a seat and Gilbert began discussing the start of term. When he dismissed them Emma began to walk to the door but her father grabbed her.

"You had best not even think of going to the Black Horse tonight Emma," he said and let go of her arm. Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Do you think I would even risk it?" she asked in disbelief.

"You're friends with people who would. I don't want them to influence you," he narrowed his eyes at her and she shook her head again.

"Don't worry dad. I can stick up for myself. But did you have to make Si pair up with Will?" she complained. That would mean Will would be near her and she would prefer not to have that at the moment in time. She knew her father could be an arsehole but he was still her father.

"They share most classes together Emma," Gilbert told her.

"Okay then," she agreed and bid her father goodbye and headed off to her law class for a morning of lessons.

...

"Have you seen them?" Emma asked when she sat down opposite Neil in the cafeteria. Simon looked at her and shook his head.

"It may help if you actually describe what you're on about," Jay commented and he tucked into his pile of chips as Emma opened up her salad.

"The new boy...Will...his photo is all over the school. Someone filmed him doing a shit," Emma said and Neil chocked on the coke he was swallowing and Simon groaned inwardly.

"For fuck sake! I have to look after the boy who was shitting in the toilets. Brilliant," Simon complained.

"That is brilliant!" Neil exclaimed and Jay smiled as he ate more of his chips.

"I wouldn't say that. Now he's going to be made to look like a social reject," Emma said.

"Because we're not social rejects?" Simon asked.

"She bloody isn't! She has flaming Andrew Pearce chasing after her!" Jay pointed at Emma and she put her finger over her mouth to silence him.

"Andrew doesn't like me! You all know that!" she murmured loudly.

"He does stare at you a lot though," Neil commented.

"That's because he wants to fuck her Neil," Jay replied.

"No he doesn't," Emma picked at her salad.

"To be fair. He does stare at you an awful lot. And he talks to you sometimes," Simon contradicted.

"So? I talk to you three a lot and that doesn't mean I want to shag you," Emma said and she rolled up her jumper sleeves.

"I know you want to shag me," Jay commented.

"No. No, I don't," Emma said and Jay remained silent.

"But he is popular and he has that look girls go for," Simon said and Emma picked up her salad bowl.

"I'm off to Politics before you lot drive me mad. I'll see you at the end of the day," Emma said and she began to walk off down to her politics class.

...

"Look I just wanted to apologise for what is said earlier about your father," Will McKenzie suddenly snuck up alongside Emma who was walking next to Simon.

"Why did you say it?" Emma continued walking as Jay and Neil murmured about the conversation which was happening to the left of them.

"I...don't know. I was angry with him I guess and I was trying to be cool to make some new friends," Will told her honestly and she stood still and looked at him.

"Fine. Apology accepted. But never say anything like that again," she warned him and he nodded.

"I won't," he promised and then he looked sideways.

"Oh God," he muttered.

"Is that your mother?" Emma asked, astounded at the good looking woman in the car.

"I definitely would," Jay commented.

"You would anything that has a pulse," Emma told him and he shrugged.

"Wouldn't want my shagging practice to go to waste on anything Em," Jay said and Emma snorted.

"Would you do your mum?" Neil piped up as he stared at Will.

"She's my mum. So no." Will said.

"But if she wasn't?" Simon pushed.

"But she is," Will replied and Emma shook her head.

"Leave him alone," Emma told them and Will nodded and began to walk to his car. Will's mum drove off and the four of them began walking home.

"I was just saying that she was quite fit," Jay raised his arms in the air and shrugged.

"But it was awkward for him Jay," Emma replied. "It's like me saying would you do your mum."

"That's just gross," Neil commented.

"But it was like that with Will," Emma counteracted.

"That was different," Jay said.

"No it wasn't," Emma retorted.

"It was," Jay said.

Suddenly there was a pip noise and Emma turned around to see her dad's silver car crawling alongside them.

"Go to daddy then Emma," Jay whispered in a high pitched voice.

"Fuck off," Emma smiled and she nodded at Simon before getting into the car.

"And you can't make some decent friends why?" her father asked as she put her seat belt on and then began to drive.

"Because when your father is the head of sixth form and he is so strict it kind of dents your chances of making any friends. And there's nothing wrong with my friends now. Really," Emma said and she stared out the front window.

"Cartwright, Sutherland and Cooper? Because their going somewhere with their life," Gilbert snorted.

"They're fine dad. Drop it," Emma snapped. Sure they weren't cool but they were generally nice to her.

"I just think you could do better," Gilbert ended the conversation as they got home. Emma had a nice home. It was well decorated and she had a nice room with an en-suite.

"Homework first. And do not even think about sneaking off to the Black Horse," he warned again as he unlocked the front door. Emma rolled her eyes and dropped her bag at the foot of the stairs and kicked of her shoes and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm not going and you know that," she said as she took a can of coke from the fridge and then headed back to the stairs as Gilbert left for the living room which was on the left.

"I was checking," he said and Emma trudged up the stairs and took a seat at her desk and turned her laptop on. She sat there and began working on the crazy amount of homework she had received considering it was her first day back at sixth from. It was about seven o'clock when her mobile rang and she saw it was Simon.

"Hi," she answered.

"Emma...do...what pub is everyone off to tonight?" he asked her.

"The Black Horse. Why do you ask?" she questioned him as she flipped open her AS Law text book.

"We're in the wrong pub," Simon said simply and Emma laughed heartedly.

"How the hell did you manage that?" she asked him.

"We're in the Black Bull. It's half right," Simon made excuses up and Emma could hear Jay in the background swearing at Simon.

"Guess so. I have to go Si. I'm working," Emma said and she hung up the phone and chuckled to herself as she began to work again.

"Emma! I'm off to the Black Horse to turf out the sixth formers. I imagine none of them listened to my warning," she heard her father shout.

"Okay," she replied.

"I'll bring back Chinese."

"Bye dad," she replied and when she heard the door shut she reached for her phone and called Simon but he wouldn't pick so she tried Jay and then Neil but none of them were answering. She was going to tell them her dad was on the way but she couldn't and so she finished off working and went down to the living room and sat and flipped through channels.

"I'm back," she heard her dad yell when the door opened. "Your friends were in the pub. Along with McKenzie who actually managed to turf everyone out by telling the bartender they were all under eighteen."

Emma stood up from the sofa and followed her dad into the kitchen.

"You shitting me?" she asked.

"Language Emma," Gilbert scolded and Emma smiled to herself. Will McKenzie seriously had issues.


	2. Bunk Off

"And why may I ask are you not in your uniform?" Gilbert asked his daughter as she walked into the kitchen wearing her grey hoody and skinny jeans.

"Well you see the only lesson I have this morning has been cancelled which is History because Mr. Harrison is on a course and so I don't have any lessons apart from Law which is this afternoon and so I do not have to be in until half past one which works fine with me," she told her father as she buttered herself some toast.

"I forgot Martin was on a course," Gilbert opened his paper and began to read the first page as he reached for his tea.

"And what do you intend to do this morning?" he asked Emma.

"I'm off to Simon's, I got this book out the library for him and he wants it for today," she replied and Gilbert raised a brow.

"Oh really? Shouldn't you do some studying?" Emma took a large bite of toast and shrugged.

"I know what I'm doing dad. I don't need to study much yet anyway," she replied and her father sipped at his tea before placing his cup into the dishwasher and putting on the grey jacket he nearly always wore.

"Well I'm off now but if Cooper tries any funny business..." her father warned and Emma had to be careful not to spit out her toast.

"Dad! No. Just no. Oh God I think I'm ill now," Emma told him and he rolled his eyes.

"You're one girl in a group of four teenage boys Emma," he picked up his briefcase and Emma did place her toast down onto the wooden table.

"No...don't go there. I am not even listening," she looked him in the eye and Gilbert sighed.

"Fine. I will see you tonight."

"Yep goodbye," she said and he began to make his way towards the front door.

...

"Good morning Mrs Cooper," Emma smiled when Simon's mother opened up the door.

"Good morning Emma...oh and hello Will," she said and Emma turned around to see Will come walking down the driveway.

"Oh, hey Em, Will," Simon appeared behind his mother and she then frowned and looked towards Simon who lifted his hands up in defence.

"What?"

"Why are none of you in uniform?" his mother asked him and then Emma noticed that Will and Simon were indeed in normal clothes.

"Well I am not in until this afternoon Mrs Cooper, my lessons have been cancelled," Emma said as Mrs Cooper allowed her to pass into the hallway and then Simon's little brother came running into the hallway.

"It's a non uniform day" Simon lied.

"No it's not," his brother skipped out to the car in the driveway.

"Yes it is you little shit! For years twelve and thirteen!" Simon shouted as his brother stuck his middle finger up at him.

"Simon if you're lying to me..." his mother threatened him.

"I'm not! It's a bloody non uniform day," Simon almost yelled at his mother and she then turned to Will who nodded sadly to agree with Simon. Mrs Cooper than turned to the door and slammed it on her way out.

"And why, may I ask, did you lie to your own mother?" Emma asked as the two boys smiled and began to walk into the kitchen

"We're bunking off today, what's your excuse for not being in school?" Simon began to pick up the phone.

"I actually don't have any lessons this morning. My History teacher is on a course so I just have Law this afternoon at half one. And may I ask why are you bunking off?" Emma folded her arms across her chest.

"We feel like it," Will shrugged.

"Oh what a wonderful reason that is," Emma clapped sarcastically..

"Well don't go telling your father about this anyway," Simon said and then he picked the phone up and began to put on his mother's voice. Will and Emma leant against the island counter in awe as they watched Simon's face go red as he talked like his mother. Eventually he hung up.

"I think Gilbert bought it," Simon said as he stared at the phone in disbelief.

"You called the school pretending to be your mother. I don't think he bought it," Will spoke.

"You're all mad. I assume Jay and Neil are involved in this?" Emma asked.

"You assume correct. Come on Will, we'll find you an outfit."

...

"You don't have to come with us you know," Simon told her as they approached Neil and Jay who were sat on a wall near the small row of shops.

"Oh no. I have nothing better to do with my time," she told him and Neil and Jay suddenly burst out laughing.

"You been taking dress ideas from Neil's dad?" Jay asked and Emma snorted.

"Oi, my dad's not bent," Neil defended.

"He is a little," Simon said as Will began to hold his hand out

"Money if you will," he spoke and each of the lads handed him a twenty pound note before he stalked off into the shop.

"He does look like a tit though," Jay commented.

"He's wearing my dad's suit," Simon told him.

"Makes sense. How come Miss prim and proper is here then? Don't you have studying to be done?" Jay asked sarcastically as Neil laughed next to him.

"Hilarious. My History lesson is cancelled so I get the morning of _legally,_" Emma told him and he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Just think when you're back in college we will be having a good time getting pissed out our faces," Jay said and Simon smiled.

"Apart from the fact that there will be just you Neil, Simon and Will. Party and a half that one," Emma said ironically.

"Think what you want. We're going to have a better time than you."

"I can imagine. Where are you going to drink that stuff?" Emma asked.

"We're off back to mine," Neil piped up. "Come if you want for a while."

"Thanks Neil. I will do until I do the right thing and go back for Law," Emma said and Neil nodded.

...

They were all shocked that Will had done it. He had managed to get alcohol. Emma sat on the sofa next to Simon as she watched them all stand up and down another shot.

"I know this right fit prostitute...you up for a threesome?" Jay slurred as he leant over Simon and looked at Emma who rolled her eyes in disgust.

"Funnily enough I am alright thanks very much though Jay," Emma said and Jay shrugged.

"Be that way...it is a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said and this time Emma did laugh loudly.

"Don't be stupid. She likes Andrew...the guy in her Law class...she would do him easy" Simon piped up.

"You can tell by how she looks at him," Neil spoke.

"Would you leave this topic alone? Andrew is a nice guy," Emma said.

"It's like me and Carli," Simon looked into Emma's eyes.

"You mean it's like a nonexistent relationship?" Jay wondered.

"No...just when you look at them your heart speeds up...you wish you could be with them forever...you love them," Simon gushed.

"Is he gay?" Will asked.

"Probably," Neil agreed.

"No...I'm not. I love her...I love Carli."

"Neil!" A sudden voice yelled and they turned to the door to see Mr Sutherland stood at the doorway.

"Drinking when you're supposed to be at school? It's disgraceful."

"Oh shut up!" Will shouted and Emma looked at him with wide eyes.

"I beg your pardon? What did you just say to me?" Mr Sutherland looked offended.

"Oh I'm sorry. Shut up _please,_" Will replied.

"Oh God," Emma groaned.

"I thought you had a better tongue than that William," Neil's father condemned Will whilst Neil cringed into the chair he was sat in.

"You'd like my tongue wouldn't you? Right around your bell end?" Will exasperated.

"Now excuse me Will..." he began.

"Oh shut up you bumder!"

...

"You just called someone a bumder Will. It's not even a word," Emma told him as she walked along the road with Will, Simon and Jay. Neil had stayed behind with his father after the shame which Will had brought into his house.

"I don't know why I did it. I feel like such a tit," he complained and Emma laughed.

"You looked like one" she agreed and checked her watch.

"Time for school Emma?" Jay smirked as he noticed her check her watch

"Yep, unlike you, I don't feel like bunking off Jay," she said and bid them farewell.

...

"I haven't seen you today," Andrew smiled at her as Emma took a seat next to him in Law.

"I didn't have any lessons this morning so I didn't come in until now," she told him and he grinned at her lopsidedly. She felt her heart race as she saw him do it and then there conversation was cut short when the teacher walked in. Halfway through the lesson Gilbert entered the room and with two words he had Emma outside in the corridor.

"You said you went around to Cooper's this morning," he stated.

"I did," she agreed.

"Seems that Cooper phoned in sick today...funny thing was he pretended to have a woman's voice. Know anything about this Emma?" he raised a brow and she sighed. She knew she would have to tell him all that she knew.

"Simon, Will, Neil and Jay have had today off. They decided to bunk off and I was with them this morning telling them it was stupid but they didn't listen and now they're all completely wasted and God know what they're going to do," she told her father who nodded.

"Thank you for your honesty Emma. Now back to class," he dismissed her and she left without another word, mainly because she didn't want to get into trouble with her father when she could see how angry he was. She resumed her seat next to Andrew

"What did he want?" he whispered as they began copying from the board.

"He wanted to know where Simon, Neil, Will and Jay were," she replied.

"And where are they?" he wondered.

"Bunking off," she told him and he grinned.

"Seems unlikely for them," he commented.

"Nothing is unlikely for them when you get to know them," Emma retorted and continued writing in silence. Andrew pushed his blonde hair to the side and did the same, but every so often he kept on glancing to his side.

...

"You vomited over her brother?" Emma checked when Simon had sat down in the common room the next morning after bunking off.

"I didn't mean to," he replied.

"Well it would have been odd if you had meant to," Emma said and Simon smiled nastily before rubbing his forehead. Neil, Jay and Will all grinned at the story before they saw Gilbert walk in.

"Right, well, I'm off to History," Emma stood up and grabbed her bag before her father vented his anger on her friends.

...

Thank you to my only reviewer of this story! Nice to know at least one person is reading this! :D


	3. Thorpe Park

"You're taking your test tomorrow right?" Emma asked Simon when she took a seat next to him in the common room.

"Yes, but none of this seems to be going in and if I don't pass then I don't get to drive," Simon dropped his head into his hand and groaned inwardly at the same time Will, Jay and Neil took a seat near the them and Jay smiled.

"Think of all the places we can go to once you pass this test," Will said excitedly and Simon narrowed his eyes at him and raised a brow.

"So you're going to be paying petrol money in order to fund all of these funds?" he asked Will who sat back a little and remained silent whilst thinking.

"I would pay a little towards the cost," he murmured and Jay grinned wildly.

"That's even if he can pass. We watched his attempt at reversing the other day and if I have to be brutally honest I would say that even Emma could do a better job," Jay raised his hands in admittance and Emma frowned before turning her glare onto him.

"Am I meant to be insulted by that or complimented?" she asked Jay.

"Emma, you're a woman. Everyone knows women drivers aren't as good as male drivers," Jay shrugged.

"And that is obviously why women have to pay lower insurance then men," Emma told him.

"That's just because women sleep with men from insurance companies so that they get lower insurance. Everyone knows that, right Neil?" Jay asked.

"No word of a lie," Neil agreed.

"If it came from Jay's mouth then I am sure that rule doesn't apply," Emma said dryly as she raised her gaze over Jay's shoulder and onto Andrew who was stood near the pool table looking at her. She smiled over to him and he did the same before moving his head to the left indicating they should go to lesson. The rest of them followed her gaze and then snickered.

"Go on Emma. Pretty boy is after you," Jay laughed and Emma stood up and slung her bag onto her shoulder.

"Well I won't keep him waiting then," she told them.

"You have been doing for the last three months" Jay laughed.

"Brilliant," Neil laughed.

"Is everything sex related which comes from your mouth Jay? Or do you do it because you're deprived of it?" Emma asked as she swept past him and walked over to Andrew who grinned lazily.

"Hey," he spoke as the two of them began to take off down the corridor towards their Law class.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked.

"I'm good...look Emma, I wanted to ask you something..." he began.

"Hmm?" Emma wondered as she kept walking alongside him.

"I wanted to ask you if you felt like going out with me sometime," he said and Emma looked into his blue eyes. He being the most popular boy in the year was asking the social reject who hung out with sex obsessed boys to go on a date. Emma nearly had a heart attack.

"Yeah...I mean yes...I would love to," she replied as he held the door open for her.

...

"You would never guess what!" Emma exclaimed when she took a seat next to Simon in the common room.

"Andrew asked you out?" he guessed and Emma frowned and looked at him in interest as to how he knew.

"Yeah...go on then, who told you?" she asked him and he shut his driving book.

"The whole sixth form is going on about it. You've angered Maria," he whispered as the ex-girlfriend of Andrew Pearce was sat across the room talking to her crew of cronies.

"They broke up in the summer didn't they? Why would the big breasted bitch care?" Emma said back and Simon placed a hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking loud.

"Keep it down...she could hear you," Simon warned her and she nodded in agreement before he released her mouth from his hand.

"But seriously Si. She left him so she shouldn't complain and from what I heard from Carli she was a cow to him," Emma told her friend.

"Carli? How does Carli know?" Simon asked, his heart quickening at her name like usual.

"She knows everyone dumb ass. She is as popular as Maria and Andrew so she finds stuff out," Emma shrugged.

"Just be careful Em," Simon warned.

"I can handle her Simon," Emma spoke lazily before sitting back.

"I hear you and Andrew Pearce are getting it on," Jay said as he sat down.

"Beautiful phrasing," Emma whispered.

...

"You had best get me back before seven Simon," Emma warned as she sat in the back of his new yellow car with Will next to her.

"Don't worry. The park isn't open till seven so you will be fine," Simon replied and she leaned back.

"And I would like to get back in one piece," she added.

"Well that will be easy considering the way Simon drives this shit heap," Jay laughed to himself.

"Don't insult my car and what is wrong with my driving?" Simon didn't dare to look away from the steering wheel to glare at Jay who was smirking like usual.

"You drive too slow...you missed another opening!" Jay exclaimed and Simon continued to look left to right as he attempted to find an opportune moment to pull out.

"Go now!" Jay yelled. "Look the girls are getting away!"

"That could be because they don't want you to stalk them Jay," Will suggested.

"Nah that's not it...women love a chase," he shrugged Will's idea off.

"No. No they don't," Emma agreed with Will as Simon finally turned out but then there was the loud beeping of horns from around them and Emma peered out of the windows.

"Oh God," she complained and shrunk down in her seat.

"You've interrupted the middle of a funeral," Will stated as Simon tried to pull out to overtake the car with the coffin in it.

"Now, we've definitely lost them," Jay raised his hands in complaint.

"I can't pull out," Simon complained.

"Try," Emma urged him.

"There is nowhere to go to...oh shit," Simon moaned out loud.

...

"Look there's the girls. Reverse quickly and let's get in there," Jay spoke as Simon pushed the car into reverse. Emma looked out the window to see if the car was in the lines.

"You're not straight Si," she commented and he moved the car forwards.

"Oh screw that. Let's go," Jay began to open the door just as Simon reversed once again. Emma heard a loud crashing sound before Jay muttering swear words and Simon yelling at him. Will raised a brow at Emma and then the two of them climbed out the back only to find a door on the car missing.

"Oh God," Emma commented as Simon and Jay argued.

"You're paying for it!" he yelled and picked up his door.

"It's not my car," Jay retorted.

"You did it Jay. You're paying!" Simon roared.

"Should we leave them to it?" Will asked and Emma nodded.

"They'll follow," she told him and then the two of them made their way into the theme park to find Neil.

...

"Please tell me that is not Neil," Emma begged as soon as she saw a monkey jumping around on the footpath of the grounds. Jay raised a brow as the monkey used his hands to swat away something which was apparently bothering him. The four of them stood there and then began to laugh loudly when the monkey did, in actual fact, turn out to be Neil.

"That is tragic," Jay laughed as he began to walk towards them.

"Shut up," Neil complained.

"Or what? You won't give us a banana?" Simon laughed loudly and Emma coughed in an attempt to try and hide her laughter.

"Leave him alone guys...at least he is making money," Emma told them.

"Anyway Neil...are we going to go on the Nemesis Inferno or not?" Will suddenly asked as he looked at his watch and pushed his glasses further up onto his nose.

"Yeah...I just need to go and change out of this...why do you have a car door with you Si?" Neil asked his friend who rolled his eyes and began to follow Neil off to the changing rooms.

"I'll wait out here," Emma said when the four of them disappeared into the changing rooms. Whilst they was gone Emma felt her phone vibrate and saw that it was her father attempting to get hold of her.

"Dad," she said down the phone.

"Emma. Please may you tell me as to why you have Andrew Pearce phoning the house phone?" her father asked her and she slapped her hand to her forehead. She had given him her home number. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"Well...you see...Andrew...he asked me out...and I said yes...we're off out tonight," she told her father.

"Andrew Pearce? As in the man slag who was going out with Maria Stevens?" Gilbert raised a brow as he spoke down the phone to his daughter.

"Dad! He is not man slag! But yes that is the one," she agreed.

"And need I make his sixth form days hell in an attempt for the dim wit to see that he can't break your heart without me messing up his university application?" her father asked and Emma did smile vaguely at what her father had said. In his own way he did care for his child.

"No dad. I'm fine...we're fine...look I have to go now," she made her escape from the conversation just before the boys returned back out.

"Who were you talking to on the phone?" Simon smirked as they began walking again.

"Just dad," she said honestly.

"Does Gilbert know you're fucking Pearce?" Jay wondered.

"Considering we're not fucking no he doesn't," Emma frowned.

"Anyway...are you sure your sister's boyfriend will be able to fix my car door?" Simon panicked as they stood near the Inferno which was about to shut.

"Well he works in a garage," Nail shrugged.

"Come on Si...stop worrying. Neil knows him and it will be alright. We will have your car fixed and Emma will be able to go on her date," Will tried to tell him optimistically until finally Simon sighed and nodded before he followed them up into the queue.

"Considering there are four seats at the front one of us will have to go alone," Will looked at the group.

"I'll go alone," Emma finally said when she realised none of the others were going to give in.

"Sorted," Will clapped his hands.

"I'll go with her," Simon said and he smiled at Emma who nodded back. There was only Simon in the group who knew that Emma was slightly scared of heights and rollercoaster's. When they finally reached the end of queue Simon and Emma went to sit in the second row and then Will began the argument.

"But me and my friends have queued up for ages to secure these seats," Will spoke stubbornly.

"Will! Would you just sit down!" Emma shouted over to him. Simon was sat at the end of the four seats as Emma was next to him before she was joined by Jay and then Neil next to him.

"Oh God," she groaned as the ride began to move. She screamed mainly in fear rather than excitement as the rid tossed and turned and by the end of it she thought she was shaking as Simon helped her from the seat.

"I. Hate. Rollercoaster's. "she spoke angrily as they saw the people who Will had offended.

"You didn't?" she checked but the look on his face told her that he did.

"Oh my God," Simon exclaimed and Neil and Jay laughed at Will's disgrace.

...

"I'm sorry about this," Emma said when she climbed into her dad's car. She was leaving Will, Jay, Simon and Neil to get a lift with Simon's dad. Considering there would be no room for her.

"And may I ask why I had to trawl down here to pick you up?" Gilbert raised a brow. He wasn't angry with his daughter but he was slightly annoyed and then he laughed at the story which she told him.

"So now Simon's car needs serious work," she told her father who nodded.

"By the sounds of it yes," he agreed.

"Oh crap...dad...I need you to drop me off outside the cinema..." she told her father when she finally checked her watch.

"Fine. I don't like this," he replied but she rolled her eyes.

...

"Andrew...hi...look I'm sorry I am a little late," she said when she approached him. He was stood holding two tickets to the movies and he smiled lazily at her.

"It's fine Emma...what happened...you look a little..." he didn't know what to say and so once again she began to retell the story.

...

"I had a really nice time," she admitted when he drove her home. He stopped the car and nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we could do it again sometime?" he suggested and she nodded eagerly.

"I'd like that," she agreed and he smiled. They held eye contact for a few minutes before she realised she was leaning into him and then she was kissing him.

...

I have to once again say thank you to my only reviewer! This is for you! Hahahaha :D


	4. Girlfriend

"This is fun," Emma commented as she stood opposite Simon in the living room of a typical suburban house. It was Friday night and some may say that the party was in full swing. If by being in full swing it meant that there was no one remotely drunk or anyone who looked like they were having a good time then the party was buzzing.

"Well why isn't your little boyfriend here yet?" Jay wondered. "Found a better shagger has he?"

"I doubt that," Emma said dryly, her eyes narrowing into Jay's as Simon stood up and Neil came back from the kitchen with another beer. Will was stood and looking like he was in his own little world.

"So where is he?" Simon asked her.

"He's working," she said. "He's picking me up at eleven."

"Oh err," Jay nudged Neil. "Dogging I do believe."

"Good God," Emma complained.

"Hey Jay," a sudden voice spoke and the five of them turned around to see Jay being patted on the shoulder by a male as he put his thumbs up.

"I'll see you later mate!" Jay called out and the stranger left the room, leaving them all looking at Jay.

"Who was he?" Neil asked.

"Just a friend from my trial days at West Ham," Jay shrugged. "No biggie."

"Because that's not bullcrap," Emma snorted.

"Just a friend!" Will's voice went high pitched.

"Oh friend!" Simon croaked out. "From the days at West Ham which never happened."

"Believe what you want," Jay simply shrugged.

"Friend!" Will and Simon chorused and Neil held his thumbs up whilst Emma burst out laughing and Jay simply just turned red in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Ha!" Emma snorted. "As if you have any friends!"

"Well I do," Jay replied. "I can't hang around with you sad losers all the time."

"No," Will replied. "Because we are clearly as sad as you."

"You're beneath me," Jay counteracted. "Jesus Christ," he suddenly trailed off and they all looked to the side to see who had come in the door. Charlotte Hinchcliffe.

"She actually came," Simon gasped.

"She is so fit," Jay said.

"She's definitely get it," Neil replied.

"Right in the bumhole," Jay agreed.

"Jesus Christ," Emma rolled her eyes and wandered off into the kitchen where she began to look for some alcohol. A moment later, Will joined her in the search and the two of them began discussing Jay's fake trails at West Ham.

"So how is it going with Andrew?" Will suddenly wondered and Emma simply just shrugged.

"Fine I guess...we've only been going out for a few weeks and yet every time I see him..." she trailed off and Will raised a brow.

"You get a nervy tummy?" he pondered.

"He wants to stick his tongue down my throat!" she simply replied and Will chuckled.

"Is that a bad thing?" he wondered, pushing his glasses further onto his nose.

"It isn't always a good thing," Emma said. "Sometimes I wouldn't mind an actually in depth conversation...you know?"

"What? Like how you enjoyed the film you went to watch the other night? And discussing your favourite hobbies and what you like and don't like?" he asked and Emma searched his eyes for a moment and she nodded.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Something like that."

"Uh hum," a feminine voice coughed and the two of them looked to see Charlotte stood in the doorway and Emma nodded.

"I'll go and see what Simon's gotten up to," she said and walked briskly past Charlotte, not knowing what to say to the elder girl as she made her excuse and went back into the living room.

"The kitchen is an alcohol free zone," she told the three boys who were hovering around near a chair. Emma looked at Simon who in turn was looking at a girl sat on the sofa who continued to look back at him.

"Si, I think you're disturbing her," Emma coughed once and Simon looked at the brunette stood next to him.

"I think we have a connection," Simon said.

"Like a stalker does with their victims," Jay sang and Simon shook his head.

"She keeps looking at me."

"That's because you're freaking her out," Neil raised a finger to indicate his point. "Birds get creeped out easily."

"How do you know that?" Jay asked.

"I read my sister's Grazia magazine."

"Sure it wasn't your dads?" Simon jumped in, still looking at the girl before Jay grinned.

"I'm off to find us some more alcohol. Never trust a woman to do a man's job," Jay simply spoke and took off.

"There is no alcohol!" Emma shouted after him as he simply waved her off and continued walking away.

"Simon, stop looking at her." Emma demanded and a moment later there truly was a rare sight. Will McKenzie was walking down the hallway with Charlotte dragging him upstairs. Emma nudged Simon, making him look at the sight before Neil and Jay re approached and watched.

"Well fuck me," Jay simply said.

"Many would pass on that offer," Emma said when Will and Charlotte were out of sight.

"Many haven't," Jay winked.

"I'm going to talk to her," Simon suddenly decided and began to walk off before Emma could hold him back. But, as soon as he had walked off, he walked back round to them again.

"She said no?" Jay said.

"She didn't even say that," he grunted. "And I thought Charlotte was dating someone?"

"She is," Emma said. "I'm sure Andrew said it was Donovan but they have been having arguments recently."

"No," Neil shook his head. "It's not Donovan."

"If it is..." Jay whistled lowly. "Then Will is screwed."

"It's not...who is it?" Neil began to wonder.

"It is Donovan," Emma remained adamant.

"No..." he shook his head.

"Is it?" Simon asked quickly. "Because then we need to warn Will!"

"Oi!" a voice shouted out.

"It is Donovan," Emma simply said.

...

"I didn't see you leave the other night," Will spoke when he sat beside Emma in the library and opened up his text book.

"Andrew came for me whilst you were with Charlotte. I assume Donovan didn't beat you to within an inch of your life?" Emma said.

"Oh he did, I'm just a quick healer," Will said back to her and she laughed lightly and Will joined in before she began writing again as Will looked at her for a moment and then sniffed before continuing with his own work. No less than ten minutes into his Politics essay, he looked up to see Andrew Pearce walking into the library as he stopped behind Emma's chair and bent down to kiss her neck.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey Andrew," she replied.

"Pearce!" a sudden voice snapped and Andrew stood up quickly as Emma continued packing away, watching as her father made his way over to the table.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gilbert snapped.

"Nothing," Andrew shrugged.

"Dad," Emma complained. "Leave it."

"There shall be nothing like that in here. Do you understand me?" Gilbert pointed a finger at Andrew who silently shook.

"Yes sir," Andrew replied.

"And if I even see you lay another finger on my daughter then I swear to God you shall be spending the rest of your sixth form days in detention. With me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, sir," he quickly said and Will couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as Gilbert glared at him and then walked off.

"I am so sorry for him!" Emma told Andrew as she stood up and he shrugged.

"It's cool...I knew he was overprotective..."

"Even so," Emma rolled her eyes. "I'll see you later Will," she said and walked off before Will had a chance to say anything else to her.

...

"He completely blew his top!" Simon snapped. "Said I knew nothing! I mean...what would she see in a speccy git like him?"

"Harsh Simon," Emma said as they sat on the wooden fence with Neil and Jay.

"Although you must find it hard to admit that he is going to lose it before you," Jay replied.

"I don't care!" Simon snapped. "He's going to lose it before you too!"

"I lost my V card years ago," Jay said.

"No you didn't." Simon replied. "Stop with the bullshit Jay."

"It's true. Right Neil?"

"I believe him," Neil said.

"I don't think Neil's testimony would stand up in a court of law," Emma said and peered around Simon to look at him. "Sorry Neil."

"It's cool," he shrugged. "I don't want to go to court anyway."

"No," Jay shook his head, standing up. "It's no fun."

"And you'd know?" Simon raised a brow.

"My dad had to go once...his underground mob was found out...police were not too happy," Jay said and then he saw his friend.

"Oh friend," Simon and Neil said as Jay spoke to him in his car. The whispers were bugging him. That was evident.

"He's not my bloody friend!" Jay snapped as he turned around.

"Alright, alright," Simon said.

"Friend!" Neil blurted out and Jay grunted under his breath before walking down the street with the calls of 'friend' after him. Emma continued laughing along with the other two until the finally saw friend's car.

"I'll show you he's not my friend!" Jay snapped at them and climbed onto the bonnet and the three of them fell silent as they watched him jump up and down and an alarm began to sound.

"Oh friend! Fucking football friend!" he yelled.

"He's cracked," Simon said.

"No doubt," Neil shook his head.

"I think he'll be seeing that court of law very soon," Emma said and they saw said friend walk out before running off down the road.

...

"Simon told me," Emma said and she stood beside Will, waiting to go into the hall for the charity blind date.

"What?" Will worried.

"About you and Charlotte on Friday night...about how you went round to hers...what was it like?"

"It didn't happen," Will shook his head, too deflated to lie to her.

"Really?" Emma raised a brow. "Because you realised you don't want to rush into it or because she said no?"

"Neither," Will replied. "I don't want to talk about it Em."

"That's cool," Emma said.

"Really?" Will asked her and she smiled at him.

"If you don't want to talk about it then I won't ask...I'm not that pushy Will..."

"Hey Em!" Andrew suddenly shouted her and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she smiled up to him.

"Hey. Ready to go in?" she asked and he nodded.

"I just need to see Simon about something. Back in a moment," she said and escaped his grip and walked over to Simon whilst Andrew narrowed his eyes at Will.

"I've seen how you look at her," he said dangerously and Will turned around to make sure it was him he was talking too.

"Me?" he squeaked.

"Yes," Andrew hissed. "You. She is mine. Do you understand? And she would never go for a sad pathetic virgin like you."

"I don't know what you mean," Will shook his head. "We're just friends..."

"And it will stay that way." Andrew warned him and then smiled when he saw Emma walk back over to him. Will watched as the two of them walked off, wondering whether he should tell her of what had just happened or not.

...

"He threatened you?" Simon checked that evening with Will when he Neil and Jay had gone around to take him out for a KFC. Will nodded and munched on the chips he had as he looked at the tray.

"I don't even like her like that..."

"Even so mate," Simon scrunched his face up. "You have to tell her."

"But she's happy with him," Will said.

"And you were happy with Charlotte," Jay brought back the memory. "But not everything ends out perfect."

"I'm not ruining it for her."

"But if he did that then she would definitely chuck him," Neil nodded. "Emma is loyal like that."

"She's like a little lapdog when you get to know her," Jay agreed. "And Pearce is just a psycho anyway. I heard he once beat up this gang of robbers when they tried to break into his neighbours house."

"That is quite obviously a lie," Will said.

"My mate told me," Jay defended himself.

"Your made up mate?" Simon asked

"James Phillips, actually," Jay said.

"Made up then," Simon confirmed. "But if he can get violent with you...what will he do to Emma?"

"He won't hurt her," Will ate a piece of chicken. "He just gets jealous."

"But what if she looks at someone in the wrong way?" Simon worried. "I'm telling her."

...

A/N: So I recently came back to this story and I saw all of the reviews! Thank you all so much and I am glad you like it and that is why I decided to update! So to all my reviewers, do enjoy and please review! I shall try and write more soon!


	5. Caravan Club

Neither one of the four boys had seen Emma for the past week. She had been at home, ill with tonsillitis and when they had tried to go round to see her Gilbert had told them to leave and she was not in the mood for visitors. They had even heard Pearce speaking to his friends about how much of a knob Gilbert was being. And so, they had yet to tell Emma of Pearce and his threat. Finally, she returned to sixth form, dropping into a chair beside Will and seeing him with a bin on his head.

"Well you look bloody terrible," she commented and Will turned his bin covered head to look at her.

"Emma?" he asked and she pulled the bin from his head and smiled.

"Hey," she said. "Who did this to you?"

"Donovan," Will replied. "I'd put it back on or else he'll get annoyed."

"What's he going to do? Beat me up?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Donovan as he looked across the room.

"What happened to you?" Simon suddenly asked as he walked into the common room.

"Well I was walking-" Will began but Simon cut him off.

"I meant Emma," he replied.

"Thanks very much," Will replied in a mutter and Simon sat next to his friend and looked at her.

"I'm fine now..." she said. "Just been ill."

"Yeah, we tried to visit you but your dad said you were too ill."

"What?" she asked. "I wasn't that ill...he was just overreacting."

"It's Dawn of the Dead!" Jay's sudden voice boomed and he sat opposite Emma, ruffling her hair as he walked past.

"Hey Em," Neil said and she smiled at them.

"So go on then," she urged them. "What have I missed?"

"Not a lot," Simon said, not wanting to tell her about Pearce and his threat in the common room when so many people knew him.

"Really?" she raised a brow.

"Nah," Jay said. "Dead quiet."

"So what are we doing this weekend?" Emma pondered. "I mean...it's my first weekend I'm allowed out."

"Won't you be spending it with Andrew?" Will asked her and she shook her head.

"He's off away on some football tournament or something," she shrugged.

"We could go to the shopping centre?" Simon suggested.

"No," Neil said. "Emma takes too long trying on all the clothes."

"Well whatever you sad losers are doing...I'll be getting laid."

"Hiring a prostitute?" Emma wondered and Jay rolled his eyes.

"I'm off to the caravan club...it's proper filthy down there...I'd invite you along but I don't think you could handle it."

"Go on then," Will said.

"What?" Jay replied.

"I'm up for it," Neil said. "If there are birds there then I won't say no."

"I didn't mean...well...yeah," Jay said bravely. "You game Em?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world."

...

"I still don't like it," Gilbert told his daughter. "You've been ill for a while and now you want to go wondering off with four adolescent boys to a caravan?"

"Dad," Emma complained as Simon pipped his horn outside. "I'll be fine...I have a boyfriend, remember?"

"How can I forget when his large ego walks around the school like he owns the place," Gilbert simply said and went back to his paper. Andrew Pearce was a sensitive issue around her father. Mainly because he didn't like him.

"I'll see you Sunday dad," Emma said and kissed him on the cheek before he grunted in dismay and she left for a weekend away.

...

"I can't believe you got the front seat!" Neil complained as he sat in the back with Will and Emma took the front seat.

"Shotgun doesn't count when there are ladies present Neil," Will said. "Everyone knows that."

"It is the rule Neil," Simon piped up.

"Is that Leona Lewis?" Emma asked suddenly when they heard a phone gone off.

"Get that Will," Simon said. "And I happen to like Leona Lewis."

"Are you sure you're not gay?" Emma teased and he swatted her on the arm and she laughed.

"Jay says to meet him at the garage outside the park...and does anyone need any condom's?"

"No one will need any because no one is getting laid," Emma simply said. "It's a caravan club...you don't seriously believe that he will have slept with all these women, do you?"

"Why would Jay lie?" Neil enquired.

"He has issues," Emma said.

"Just like Andrew," Simon blurted out and then his eyes went wide and the road gained his full attention whilst Neil looked at Will who shook his head.

"Meaning?" Emma asked Simon.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just that...well..."

"Go on," Emma urged him.

"We heard him in the toilet the other day," Will piped up. "He had bowel issues."

"Oh," Emma said and Simon looked at Will in his rear view mirror, wondering why he had lied to her.

...

"I'm going to the toilet," Emma said, watching as Simon strained to put petrol into his car and the others took off into the garage shop. "This is too hard to watch."

Eventually, Simon managed to put the petrol into his car and moved into the garage, nudging Will on the shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell her?" he snapped.

"I don't know," Will said. "It was a genuine dilemma...if I tell her then I don't want to ruin the friendship thing because of him..."

"But she needs to know!"

"Does she?" Will wondered. "Because the way I see it no good will come of her knowing."

"Yes," Simon nodded. "It will...she'll tell him to back off."

"Would she?" Will pondered.

"Of course she would. I'm telling her before the weekend is out though."

...

"Lovely dinner Mrs Cartwright," Emma said as the salad was placed in front of her and the woman nodded.

"Thank you very much Emma. Jay tells me you've been ill."

"Oh yes," Emma nodded and began to eat a bit of lettuce as she sat in the middle of Simon and Will. "But I'm fine now."

"Good," Mrs Cartwright nodded in genuineness before they heard the most excruciating sounds known to man. The smell was the next thing to hit them and Jay simply looked down onto his lap in pure disgust.

"AH!" Terry Cartwright suddenly spoke. "Alright boys? And Em?"

"Hello Mr Cartwright," Emma said.

"Nice crisps Mrs Cartwright," Will said.

"Yeah...she opened the packet herself!" Terry laughed.

"I was just telling them of all the birds down here dad," Jay said.

"Really? Because it is about time that someone took advantage of the girls down here." Terry declared. "Jay's about as useful as a nun."

"Terry," Mrs Cartwright said, settling a hand onto her son's arm, "you're embarrassing him."

"I'm being honest. I never knew why he didn't get it on with Em over there...she's a good looking bird...but then again, he's probably too scared of her dad finding out!"

"Stuff this!" Jay snapped and began to walk out, followed by the others, begging to get away from Mr Cartwright and his vileness.

...

"Well if this is a caravan club disco then I can honestly say it is shit," Will deduced as soon as they entered the disco and stood to one side, each having a glass in their hand as Simon made the eyes at Becky who was dancing across the way with her friends. Emma tossed her hair to the side and looked at Simon with a raised brow as he took a sip of his drink, his eyes looking into his friend's as he did so.

"What?" he asked her.

"She doesn't look like she wants to go all the way," Emma told him honestly. "I think she seems a little young."

"Nah," Jay jumped in and stopped watching Neil dance. "I've slung one up her a few times myself," he assured Simon. "She's gagging for it."

"The thing is," Simon said. "I kind of wanted to wait for Carli."

"She's never going to do it with you," Jay told his friend. "Just go for Becky...no harm can come out of it."

"Would you like to bet on that?" Emma asked Jay who simply just rolled his eyes.

"You make the move on her and I'll take miss prim and proper out the way..." Jay said and grabbed onto Emma's arm as Becky began to walk forward and speak with Simon.

"Have you really slept with her?" Emma asked and Jay snorted.

"Of course," he said. "Now you stay here with Will whilst I go use the bathroom. And speccy, don't let her mess this up for Si."

"Oh, you're talking to me," Will said, stopping his conversation about humus.

"Who else?" Jay sounded bewildered as he took off for the bathroom and left Emma and Will stood together.

"So," Emma said. "What did you mean about Andrew earlier?"

"Pardon?"

"I know you lied to me Will," Emma said. "What do you know that you won't tell me?"

"I um...well...it's just..."

"Four eyes," a sudden voice boomed and Will and Emma looked as a punk rock girl marched over to them.

"Me?" Will croaked.

"Well I'm not a lesbo," she said and looked Emma up and down before going back to Will. "Now would you rather take me somewhere quiet or stay here and talk to this girl with small tits?"

"Um..." Will stammered and Emma's mouth dropped open and then she shut it.

"I'll see you later Will," she said curtly.

"No...wait..." Will said, but it was too late and he saw her walking off for the toilets.

...

"You're full of shit!" Simon hissed when he walked into the club and Jay and Emma looked at him as he looked over at Becky who was speaking with her parents.

"So she didn't want sex?" Emma sounded quite full of own importance as Jay rolled his eyes and Simon nodded to confirm her beliefs.

"No. She did not."

"Really?" Jay asked and looked at Will who was wrestling twelve year olds.

"We need to go...her parents are looking annoyed," Simon said and they began to move out the club.

"Oi!" Emma roared at the kids. "Give him his shoes back now!" she demanded and they looked at her and dropped them, allowing Will to pick them up before following Emma outside.

"I'm not finished with you yet Will," she warned him. "We shall have that conversation."

...

Mr and Mrs Cartwright were still out late that evening as the four of them – minus Neil – went back to the caravan. Emma changed in the bathroom, putting on her oversized cotton pyjamas as she tied her hair into a bobble and walked back out into the living area where Jay was making up the beds rather awkwardly and depositing sleeping bags on the floor.

"I can't believe you lied to me Jay!" Simon hissed, sleeping on the makeshift bed as Emma settled herself beside him.

"Why not?" she muttered. "This is Jay we are on about."

"Well she must have turned frigid," Jay replied.

"Highly doubted," Will said. "Considering she never turned it in the first place."

"I want the truth," Emma suddenly demanded and she laid on her back as Simon rolled over to face her, seeing her eyes were shut. Will and Jay remained silent on the floor as she continued. "What did you mean earlier about Andrew?"

"I-"

"Jay-"

"Will-"

All three of them spoke and then Simon cleared his voice.

"He threatened Will," Simon said. "He thought Will fancied you and he threatened him to stay away."

"He did what?" Emma asked and remained still, unable to believe it. "Is it true Will?"

"Yes," Will squeaked. "I didn't want to tell you because I know you like him."

"Hmm..." Emma mused.

"So..." Jay began. "What are you going to do?"

"Let me sleep on it," Emma said; her mind working overtime as she did so.

...

Thank you to all those who reviewed last night! More to come soon!


	6. Xmas Party

"What is so urgent?" Andrew asked Emma as he came sprinting from the football field. He had been training with the rest of the team when he had noticed his girlfriend stood on the touchline. He had waved at her but she had remained stood with her arms folded, looking over at him and then wandering off which caused him to move to her side.

"Did you threaten Will?" she asked him straight out, pulling her blazer tighter around her in the cold December air. Andrew chuckled once lowly, running a hand through his blonde hair as he looked at the brunette who didn't seem amused. He stopped grinning when he saw Emma's face and his mouth parted slightly.

"I just saw the way he had been looking at you..." Andrew defended his actions and Emma shook her head.

"You should have left it," she snapped, "Will and I are just friends. You had no right to do that."

"You're my girl-"

"I am not your girl Andrew," Emma snapped. "I'm not a possession. Do you understand me?"

"Okay Em..." Andrew said. "If it makes you feel any better then I'll apologise to him."

"You would do that?" Emma looked slightly taken back at what he was offering to her.

"Of course I would," he said, taking her hand. "If I offended him then I am sorry...it's just that I can't lose you."

"You don't need to get jealous of every guy who speaks to me because I'm not putting up with it..."

"Fine," Andrew said. "I realised I may not have handled it well...I'll talk to him when we have Politics."

"Promise?" Emma checked with him.

"I promise," he said. "Now come here."

And then he kissed her quickly.

...

"McKenzie," Andrew Pearce spoke as soon as he saw Will sat in Politics. He was the first one in the class and ready to work as the Christmas Party kept going through his head.

"Yes?" Will asked.

"I hear you've been telling my girl that I threatened you," Andrew said.

"I thought she had a right to know."

"So what? Did you think she would dump me and then go out with you?"

"No..." Will began to stutter. "I didn't..."

"Well it didn't work." Andrew said smugly. "She said if a I apologise then things will be better. So I'm sorry. And if you ever go blabbing to her again then I won't be as nice next time McKenzie. Got me?"

...

"Will!" Emma spoke as soon as they left the meeting for the Christmas Party. Will stopped his fast paced walk and looked back at her as she adjusted her satchel on her shoulder.

"Hey," Will said.

"You've been awfully quiet," she said. "You barely looked at me back there."

"Oh," Will stuttered. "I'm just a bit stressed...I just need this party to go well."

"I'm sure it will," Emma said. "Look...I talked to Andrew..."

"I know," Will said, trying not to sound annoyed at the subject. "He apologised."

"He did?" Emma sounded slightly shocked.

"Yeah," Will said. "In Politics."

"Right," Emma said. "I know it doesn't make what he did alright...but he said sorry..."

"So is everything okay between you two?" Will asked her and she shrugged.

"I don't know."

...

"Thanks for that Phil."

"Shit," Emma whispered as soon as he had said it. She sat in between Simon and Jay as she looked at her father who has stopped dead in his tracks. The tall man slowly turned back around and looked at Will whilst Emma allowed her gaze to fall onto her lap.

"Pardon?" Gilbert asked Will.

"Thanks for that Phil." Will said again and Gilbert shook his head.

"I don't think so McKenzie," he said.

"Bloody hell," Simon whispered into Emma's ear. "He looks like he's going to kill him."

"He probably is," Emma replied as Gilbert made Will say his name again.

"Good," Gilbert spoke. "That's better McKenzie."

...

"I thought he was going to murder me," Will complained as they sat down in the cafeteria. Jay was still paying for his food, complaining that he hadn't ate any chips when he had indeed ate them in a short amount of time. Simon had gone to stalk to Carli and that just left Will, Neil and Emma sat down at a table.

"I can't believe you did that," Emma shook her head. "Even I can't call him dad when we're here."

"I think he's creepy," Neil said. "No offence Em."

"None taken," Emma said.

"But at least Miss Timms is going to be there...she's the fittest thing I have ever seen." Neil said with a nod of his head.

"But she's not," Will said, his eyes narrowed, trying to understanding where this obsession for the Biology teacher came from.

"She charged me for bloody chips!" Jay snapped and sat beside Emma.

"Well you did have chips," Emma pointed out. "What did you honestly expect?"

"Where is the evidence?" Jay snapped, pointing at his plate.

"You ate it," Emma said.

"I might sue her," Jay said and began eating his burger.

"There is CCTV in here so it would never hold up in court," Emma said and they then looked over at Simon.

"What the hell is he doing?" Emma worried, seeing him doubled over, head between knees.

"I think he's cracked," Neil said.

"Ever since he's been friends with you," Jay pointed at Will, "he's turned mental."

"Me?" Will asked.

"Yes you," Jay said. "You have a lot to answer for."

...

"No!" Will snapped as he ordered people around on the night of the prom. "That sign doesn't go there!"

"Why didn't you tell her what he said to you?" Simon asked Will as he threw a white cloth onto a table and Will looked at his friend.

"What?" Will wondered.

"Well I presume you didn't tell Emma his second threat?" Simon spoke. "Considering she is coming to the dance with Pearce."

"I don't know how to tell her," Will complained, ticking off something on his clipboard.

"Why not?"

"Because grassing on him twice is just going to look odd, isn't it? And would she believe me?"

"Of course she would," Simon blinked a few times. "She's your friend."

"And he's her boyfriend," Will replied.

"Friends trump boyfriends."

"I'm just going to leave it," Will declared. "As long as she is happy with him then I don't see a problem."

...

"Whoa," Emma commented as she walked into the hall. She was slightly early, promising to help with some of the decorating but it seemed as if the majority of it had been done.

"Emma!" Simon exclaimed seeing her walking over to him and he blinked several times as she stood in front of him.

"What?" she asked noticing his expression of confusion.

"She looks like a girl," Neil nudged Jay as they walked over to join the gathering.

"She does look fit," Jay nodded.

"You...you look...different..." Simon managed to speak. She pulled down her short cream coloured dress as she shifted from one foot to another awkwardly and patted her hair which was tied into a tight and neat bun. Her dress was a short cream one which was a typical prom dress and on her feet was a pair of nude heels as Simon gaped.

"Simon," Emma complained, "close your mouth. You'll catch flies."

"Sorry," Si said and Will walked over to them.

"You should be working!" he snapped. "Time is ticking!"

"Hey Will," Emma smiled.

"Oh...hi...whoa...you look..."

"She looks like a girl," Neil repeated.

"Considering I am a girl...but thanks Neil," Emma said. "So what do you need doing?"

...

"Have you ever seen her look like that?" Jay asked Simon before he began his time in the DJ booth.

"No," Simon said, looking on as she was twirled under Andrew's arm and then he held her tightly.

"She looks...happy..." Jay said. "Guessing Will didn't tell her what Pearce said again?"

"No," Simon said. "He doesn't want to appear a nag."

"Wimp," Jay replied. "He needs to grow a fucking pair of balls...she needs to know."

"Does she?" Simon asked, looking at her. "Because he seems content with her."

"He's a bloody psycho maniac!" Jay snapped back and Will rolled his eyes.

"He's overprotective," Simon said. "And Emma can handle herself..."

"You think?"

"I know," Simon said. "Now get up there...I need to get to Carli."

...

"Are you having a good time?" Andrew asked Emma in her ear as he wrapped an arm around her waist and led her from the makeshift dance floor to the refreshments.

"Yeah," Emma smiled.

"And I am sorry," Andrew said. "About how I acted..."

"You keep saying," Emma said.

"Because I mean it," he assured her and she sighed once but nodded.

"I know you do."

"Pearce," a sudden voice spoke as their paths crossed Gilbert. Emma stopped and Andrew instinctively let go of her waist as Gilbert glared down at him.

"Sir," Andrew said.

"And do you plan on attending any of your Physic lessons this year?" Gilbert asked. "Because Mr Wills has reported you as being absent from them."

"Yes...I will..."

"Because wasters are not appreciated," Gilbert said.

"No sir," Andrew said.

"And I would hate for this to mess up your UCAS application..."

"Yes sir."

"So I suggest you spend more time studying and less time frolicking with my daughter."

"Dad," Emma complained. "Do you have to do this tonight?"

"I can't think of a better time. And I want no heavy petting. Do you understand me?"

"Yes dad," Emma said.

"Mr Pearce?"

"I understand," Andrew promised.

"Good. Now if you two persist in looking at each other like you do then I may vomit but-"

Gilbert was cut off mid flow by the deafening of music and all eyes turned on Carli and Simon. Andrew and Emma looked on as they said nothing to each other and Carli said she was fed up of wasters. Suddenly, there was a screech and everyone looked at Neil who was trying to kiss Miss Timms. Gilbert nodded once and then took off, rescuing Neil from complete and utter embarrassment as the music resumed again.

"I'm off to talk to Simon," Emma said and Andrew pursed his lips and she raised a hand.

"Don't even get jealous," she said. "Just stay here."

"What was that about?" Emma asked Simon as soon as she saw him.

"I was going to tell Carli how I feel..." he said. "But...the words wouldn't come out..."

"Well Neil created a great distraction."

"He did," Simon sighed and they suddenly heard shouts coming from the other side of the room. They rushed over and saw Will pushed up against the wall by Donovan as Emma walked over to them and simply pushed Mark from Will before Charlotte approached them.

"This isn't over McKenzie," Donovan promised.

"Mark!" Charlotte shrieked.

"No one wants any trouble," Emma said, standing in front of Will as she looked at Charlotte and Donovan.

"Don't worry," Charlotte spoke, "there won't be any."

And with that she dragged Donovan away from the scene where Will the nodded at Emma.

"Thanks," he said and looked at Andrew who was glaring at him but Emma didn't notice.

"It's no problem," she said. "He had no reason to do that to you."

"I think you're boyfriend is after you..." Will said as Andrew began to walk over to them.

"Come on Emma," he snapped and wrapped an arm round her and led her from Will.

"Andrew," she complained at his grasp but he ignored her. "What is wrong with you?"

"What is it with you and Will McKenzie?" he asked her and she blinked several times.

"Nothing," she said. "You need to calm down."

"And you need to stop being so brash," Emma replied. "Will is a friend."

"Nothing more?" Andrew checked and Emma snatched her arm from his hold and shook her head.

"No," she said. "And I'm not putting up with this."

"Pardon?" Andrew asked.

"If you're going to be like this whenever I speak with a male then you're not worth it."

"Are you breaking up with me?" he demanded, creating a scene as people watched on.

"We need a break," Emma declared. "This isn't going to work when you act like a control freak."

"Emma!" he yelled, seeing her walk away from him as quickly as she could.

...

"I thought we'd find you in here," Simon said and he sat on the edge of the trampoline beside Emma as she wiped away a tear.

"Why are you here?" she asked him.

"Because you need a friend?" Will replied. "He acted like a jerk."

"What did you say to him?" Simon wondered.

"I broke it off. He's a control freak...I can't deal with that..."

"You did right," Jay suddenly spoke and sat beside Emma as Will remained stood.

"You think?"

"Of course," Jay said. "I heard he was a nutter before...I didn't know how to tell you though."

"Who told you that?"

"My mate. Fred Niles...said he once beat up a football team because of a result."

"Is that true?" Emma wiped her eyes.

"No word of a lie," Jay said. "And here comes the paedophile."

"He's the opposite of that," Emma said as Neil approached them.

"How you feeling?" Simon asked him.

"Terrible...but Gilbert was surprisingly nice."

"He has his moments," Emma agreed.

"I'd disagree with that," Jay said.

"You don't know him," Will pointed out.

"Thankfully," Simon said. "But...things can only get better..."

"Of course," Emma said.

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "As long as you sad twats have me then you may be alright."

"Don't be an arse," Simon said and pushed Jay onto the trampoline and began to push him around and they all began to laugh.


	7. Field Trip

"I hear the field trip to Swanage is absolute carnage!" Jay exclaimed as the five of them stood outside the coach, waiting until it was their time to get on as they didn't all fancy being stuck on a coach for hours.

"I hear it isn't," Emma replied to them. "And besides, we're going there to learn and so we shouldn't really do anything which we shouldn't."

"But we should try and have a laugh," Simon piped up, sticking his hands into his pockets and shrugging awkwardly.

"Screw having a laugh," Jay snorted. "I'm going there to find my MILF."

"Excuse me?" Will asked him with a look of disbelief on his face. "You actually think that there is a MILF in Swanage?"

"My mate told me about her," Jay shrugged.

"This isn't the mate who once locked you in your shed and told you to strip is it?" Neil wondered and they all looked at Jay who narrowed his eyes at Neil.

"Shut up you mug," he said. "That never happened."

"Yes it did," Neil nodded, remaining adamant, "because you told me-"

"-Emma," a sudden voice interjected and she looked to her side to see Andrew who nodded at her and climbed onto the coach. She didn't nod back or make any eye contact with him as he said, fearing she may fall back into the trap of falling for him.

"I didn't know he was coming alone," Jay spoke up.

"Neither did I," Emma replied. "We'd best be getting on the bus. I don't want to end up sitting next to him."

Neil was the first to make a move and the four of them looked on at him with puzzled faces.

"You don't do Sociology or Geography," Emma pointed out.

"I know," he nodded.

"So why are you getting on the bus?" Will continued to push him.

"Mr Kennedy said I could come along," Neil said and they all began to laugh out loud.

"Paedo Kennedy?" Simon checked. "Why did he ask you along?"

"To help collect samples," Neil shrugged and got onto the bus.

"Of his spunk," Jay replied and Emma rolled her eyes at his crudeness as Will looked confused and they walked down the aisle of the bus. Emma took a seat in front of the back seat as the other's sat on the back seat. She turned around so her head was poking through the gap and she looked at them.

"You do realise the back seat isn't for people like you?"

"We're not going to give into social control," Will said proudly before the other three scampered and Will remained seated until Donovan came.

"We were here early to secure these seats!" Will snapped but it was no use as he was pushed from the seat.

"Ignore him," Simon told Emma as he sat beside her, noting her gaze was on Andrew as he sat next to his ex girlfriend and his hand stroked her hair and she hung onto his every word.

"He's stroking her like a dog," Emma muttered.

"That will be because she is nothing but a bitch," Simon said and Emma chuckled as Gilbert climbed onto the bus and Kennedy followed, thumbs up to Neil as he went.

The coach journey was long and tedious as Simon listened to his IPod and Emma fell asleep, her head resting on the headrest and occasionally falling onto Simon's shoulder. When they finally reached the seaside town and parked up they all disembarked. Gilbert managed to get his daughter to one side as Will, Simon, Neil and Jay stood talking.

"If Pearce bothers you then all you need to do is say," he told her, his eyes narrowed down into hers and she nodded at him.

"Thanks dad," she sighed. "But I don't intend on speaking to him for a long time so you don't need to worry."

"Well he won't try any funny stuff whilst I'm watching...even if he is back with that ex of his you don't care do you?"

"No."

"Damn," Gilbert sighed once. "I had hoped to make his life hell and not send off his UCAS application."

"No need dad," Emma chuckled before walking back over to the boys who were in the middle of a debate.

"I saw her first!" Will snapped at Simon.

"Alright!" Simon raised his hands up in surrender. "You can have her if you're going to get so tetchy."

"He's just tetchy because he is sexually frustrated...it's obvious...he hasn't had any," Jay shrugged.

"Neither have you," Emma said and Jay winked at her.

"Believe me," he began, "if you knew where I'd been...you'd be frothing to get some."

"I know where you've been and that is nowhere," Emma responded. "And I would only be frothing because I would be dying of a heart attack at the thought."

"We both know that's not true," Jay winked.

"Cartwright!" Gilbert suddenly snapped. "For speaking like that now you're helping the hostel staff with the washing up. Understand me?"

"But sir-"

"-No buts," Gilbert replied. "Now get up to your rooms before you all end up serving a years detention."

...

"That was so not fair!" Jay complained as he sat down next to Emma.

"You shouldn't have mentioned things like that whilst my dad was around," she told him.

"It was stupid mate," Neil nodded in sympathy.

"But if it was any other bird he wouldn't have minded!" Jay exclaimed.

"That's because they're not his daughter," Will said as he looked to the side and saw Lauren stood with a tray.

"Can I join you?"

"Move Neil!" Will demanded.

"It's alright," Jay said. "You can have my seat...I have to go and help with the washing up. You coming Neil?"

"To wash up?" Neil sounded appalled.

"And then we can go and see a woman about a pussy," Jay nodded suggestively and Neil then moved.

"I know what that means," Lauren said.

"So does everyone else," Emma muttered and the girl sat beside Simon who pushed Lauren to the edge of the bench.

"Sorry about them two," he said.

"I have a younger brother," she said as an excuse. "Idiots don't bother me. I'm Lauren by the way."

"Simon," he replied. "And this is Emma?"

"Are you that girl who everyone was going on about on the bus?" Lauren asked and Emma blinked.

"Pardon?"

"Well everyone was mentioning this girl named Emma and a boy named Piece?"

"Pearce?"

"That's the one," Lauren replied.

"Then yes. That is me," Emma sighed once.

"If it is any consolation then I didn't think what they were saying was nice," Lauren said.

"Feisty one you are," Will piped up in a high pitched voice.

"What?" Emma wondered as he continued to look at Lauren.

"Feisty one you are!"

"Why are you saying that?" Lauren asked.

"It is Yoda...from Star Wars?" Will checked with her and she chuckled.

"I thought you had a condition or something," she said and Simon laughed once and Will looked deflated.

...

"Where have you been this afternoon?" Will asked when they saw Emma.

"I had to work with Andrew," she snapped at them.

"What?" Jay checked. "Did he try anything?"

"He didn't dare," she replied. "Mr Rason put us together. Arse."

"Sit down," Simon said. "You look as pale as a ghost."

"I just want to go and hit him...he didn't do anything but the things he said...telling me how I will realise I made a mistake dumping him...absolute tosser!"

"Calm down Em," Will urged her. "He's not worth getting angry over."

Emma sat on the bottom bunk and sighed once, taking a deep breath before they heard a knock on the door and rushed over to it as it was Lauren.

"There's a party Em," Simon said. "You up for it?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I'll stay here...you go on."

"You're going to stay in our room?" Simon asked her.

"It's either this or go back to Susie and she smells funny."

"Make yourself at home then," Will shrugged and they left her to fall asleep on the bottom bunk.

...

"Emma!" a voice in the middle of the night hissed as Simon heard the door open. He was in the bottom bunk with Emma against him and the wall, sleeping soundly. She awoke with a start as Simon pulled the duvet up around her head with haste. They all watched on as Kennedy moved into the room and stood near Neil. As he lowered his hands to the teen the door opened again and Gilbert walked in, ushering him out and pointing at the boys.

"Did that just happen or was it a dream?" Will asked.

"It was your wet dream," Jay replied.

"No. It wasn't," Will replied.

"Shut up," Emma replied. "I'm tired and want to sleep."

"Your dad could have seen you here," Simon hissed at her.

"I have clothes on. He wouldn't have cared."

"Want a bet?"

...

"Why are we going on a boat?" Emma asked as they saw Will stood on the wooden platform and they stood in front of him.

"For a laugh?" Jay replied. "But miss prim and proper doesn't do fun."

"Shut up Jay," Emma snapped.

"Permission to come aboard?" Emma asked as they approached Will, saluting him.

"Permission denied. I'm taking Lauren out later."

"Later," Jay said, clambering into the boat. "Not now."

"Irrelevant," Will replied. "I have a deposit on this boat."

"Come on Will," Simon said. "Just for ten minutes."

"Fine," Will huffed. "Don't expect me to take you to sea though."

They all managed to get onto the boat and Will started the engine up, steering the boat towards the end of the harbour as Simon stood up, embracing the air as he did so.

"Simon!" Emma shouted as the boat began to weave about. She grasped onto his hand as he lost balance and fell into the water, pulling her with him. The two of them splashed around in the cold water, their blue uniform completely drenched. Emma wrapped her arms around Simon's neck and held onto him tightly as he tried to keep to the surface.

"Are you trying to drown me?" he snapped at her.

"I'm trying to stay alive!"

"By killing me?"

"Grab onto the rope!" Will shouted as he threw the rope into the water. Emma grasped onto it as quickly as she could and allowed Will to haul her back into the boat, her body shivering as she went. Simon managed to swim over to her and pull his body into the boat.

"Holy shit I'm cold!" Simon snapped.

"You need to take your clothes off!" Will said and tried to start the boat again.

"I knew you were gay from him," Jay chuckled.

"It's basic survival," Will rolled his eyes.

"In that case..." Jay mused. "Emma...you need to strip."

"What?" she asked incoherently.

"No!" Will snapped and Neil suddenly hauled a large fish onto the boat as Simon began to take his clothes off.

"It's a fish!" Jay jumped back. "No! It is a shark!"

"It's just a fish," Neil shrugged and Emma huddled up to Will for warmth.

"It's a terrifying shark fish!" Jay shouted and grasped onto the spark, allowing it to fly into the air.

"Why did you do that?" Will snapped. "We're one hundred metres from shore with a fish!"

"We need the sea police!" Jay snapped.

"I think I need to kill it," Neil mused.

"Why?" Will asked.

"Because it has left it's natural environment." Neil said and began to punch it. They all recoiled in shock as blood went everywhere and they all looked onto it.

"We need to keep Si warm," Will said and stood up, huddling around him as Emma remained on the floor of the boat, huddled in a corner.

"Kylie!" Simon suddenly shouted and dropped the blanket onto Emma's head. Maybe that was for the best, as the sight wasn't one which anyone needed to see.

...

"I'm disappointed in you Emma," Gilbert told his daughter once they returned home.

"I didn't mean to fall into the water!" she snapped.

"Well you embarrassed the whole school...you and your stupid friends."

"Dad!" Emma replied.

"It's true," he replied.

"They're not stupid...just slightly odd."

...

A/N: SO I realised I may have been neglecting this story a bit too much? Anyway, hope you all like the latest instalment and please review!


	8. Work Experience

"I fail to actually believe that all those Valentine's Day cards are all yours," Emma informed Jay as they sat in the common and Jay gave them another lovely rhyme which was written in his card. Emma rolled her eyes at him as Simon shook his head and Will looked up at the pair of them, his glasses perched on the edge of his nose. "Actually," Emma drawled. "I fail to believe any of them are yours."

"Well believe what you want," Jay snapped at her and opened another one, "but all of these cards were stuffed in my locker."

"By yourself?" Simon asked and Emma snorted and he looked at her, smirking as he turned back to Jay.

"Nah," Neil decided, pointing at the card, "this one has the smell of perfume on it."

"Which is his mum's perfume," Emma replied and Will became distract by Charlotte as he looked at them all and then stood off, rushing off to catch up with her as Emma rolled her eyes.

"Stalking won't help." Emma spoke up and Will turned around and narrowed his eyes, his arms flapping by his side as he went and they all laughed.

"He's so tragic," Neil shook his head. "You don't chase after a girl when you're sober. It isn't acceptable."

"It isn't really acceptable when you're drunk," Simon pointed out.

"Then what have you been doing with Carli for all these years?" Jay asked and Simon shook his head.

"Brilliant."

As Will walked back into the common room they all looked at him expectantly but was interrupted when Gilbert walked into the room, his voice demeaning and the word of law as he looked at all the teenagers.

"And once again it brings me nothing but joy to give you all the work experience which you need so desperately," he told them and there were some groans but some cheers which were mainly from Will as Gilbert went about handing out his papers. "I don't want anyone complaining on where they end up and you will just get on with it."

"Where are you going Emma?" a voice asked from behind her shoulder and she turned around to see Andrew Pearce stood behind her as she dropped her paper onto her lap and Gilbert turned around, seeing the boy speaking to his daughter as he frowned.

"Pearce!" he barked. "Detention!"

"What for?" Andrew said, standing straight up again.

"Talking when I am. Now sit down and shut up. And I shall see you after school."

"Jesus Christ," Andrew complained, moving over to the seat he had occupied before with his new girlfriend as Emma looked back at her paper whilst her friends just looked at her.

"What?" she asked them.

"Did your dad just stick up for you?" Will asked her and she rolled her eyes.

"It has been known to happen," she said. "You can all close your mouths. Your gawping is seriously not attractive."

...

"Hey Mrs Cooper," Emma smiled as she saw Simon's mum open the front door and she smiled back at the teenager.

"Emma...Simon is in his room...he's just changing after working with Jay at his dad's plant...dirty business apparently. How is your work experience going?"

"I get to go to a law firm and make cups of tea and photocopy...there isn't much excitement yet," she shrugged, taking her shoes off in the entrance and Mrs Cooper smiled.

"Well Simon isn't enjoying his much...and Will came around earlier saying how he disliked his work at the garage. He's an odd boy that one, isn't he?"

"He..." Emma thought of the correct word as she shrugged. "He's an acquired taste."

"I suppose you could say that," Mrs Cooper chuckled. "Well I'll let you go up to Simon's room."

Emma nodded once, taking the steps up to Simon's room as she noted his little brother in the hallway. Emma chuckled to herself as she saw him checking out her arse like he normally did and she grinned at him.

"Andrew," she greeted him.

"Emma," he replied and moved down the steps as Emma turned around and opened Simon's door to his bedroom as Andrew continued looking at her.

"Hey," Emma said as she turned around, "your brother keeps checking me out."

"Jesus Christ Emma!" Simon snapped and she blinked as she looked at him. "Have you not heard of knocking?"

"Have you not heard about wearing clothes? Been taking tips from Neil's dad?"

"Brilliant," Simon complained, shrugging into his shirt as she sat on his bed and flicked through the journal he had for work experience. "What are you doing here?"

"You invited me?" Emma reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Simon said. "I need help with my sociology."

"And why would I know that?"

"Because you took it at AS for an extra level."

"Don't tell Will that." She chuckled. "And I don't understand so why would I get it?"

"Because I'm re-sitting it and have no idea what is going on and you managed to get a B in the mock exam."

"Where do you want to start?"

...

"Him?" Emma asked as she and Simon stood at the under eighteens disco holding onto a glass of orange juice and they looked around the room. "You barged into him and now you think he wants to kill you?"

"If I know him then he will," Jay nodded. "His brother was in the psych ward of Pentonville Prison."

"What?" Emma asked.

"No word of a lie."

"I suppose it is," Emma snorted and nodded over to where a group of girls were looking at them and giggling. "I think Hannah Fields is after you Simon."

"Oh God," Simon complained. "She sent me a Valentine's Day card and has been giggling whenever she seems me. It is so embarrassing."

"Well she's the only girl you're going to get," Jay spoke up.

"She's pretty fit too," Neil said.

"And she is at an under eighteens disco," Emma said, looking into Simon's eyes. "What do you think about that?"

"I think it makes me seem like a paedophile," Simon sighed as she walked over to them, taking him by the hand.

"Want to show a girl a good time?" she asked and dragged him off to a corner.

"They're getting dirtier at a younger age," Jay stated as she kissed him quickly and they all watched, mesmerised.

"That's not a good thing Jay," Emma responded as her hand went under his trousers.

"He looks like he's in pain," Neil piped up.

"This is fucking ugly," Jay moaned.

"I can't watch," Emma said but as his face scrunched up even more a young boy ran up to Simon, hitting him and knocking him to the floor. The three of them looked on as Simon fended for himself and he managed to get up, rushing away and the three of them followed him as he rushed into the men's toilet.

"Well I can't go in there," Emma hissed as Jay rolled his eyes, pulling her in and moving them all into a booth and locking the door.

"And what do we do now?" Emma snapped. "This is ridiculous."

"I'll call Will!" Simon exclaimed pulling his phone out and calling him. "He'll be here in a minute."

"I really need a piss," Neil said and Emma shook her head as Simon pressed her further up against the door.

"You are not doing a piss!" she snapped as the door opened and they all went quiet.

"Simon?" Will's voice rang out and they opened the door and looked at him.

"We need to get out of here," Jay said. "What happened to your face?"

"Charlotte Hinchcliffe," Will said. "And I already informed her of what happened to you and she is unwilling to help."

"Well we need to go," Neil said quickly. "Simon could be murdered.

"I don't think so," Simon responded, his throat dry. "And what happened with Charlotte?"

"Long story cut short," Will spoke. "She thinks I'm a dick."

"Don't we all?" Jay piped up as they dragged Will into the cubicle after hearing the door open again. Locking it, Emma raised her brows as she looked behind her where Will stood.

"Will," she whispered, "your hand is on my arse."

"Sorry," Will replied and the bathroom went quiet again. "But it is fine. I have phoned for my mum."

"Oh God," Jay complained. "You called your mum?"

"What else could I do when Simon panicked down the phone that a gang of kids want to kill him?"

"Will William McKenzie please come to the bar as his mother is here to pick him up," a voice announced over the tannoy and they all dejectedly moved from the bathroom.

...

A/N: Please do review and thanks to all who have reviewed! Also...let me know which of the four boy's my OC should end up with and I shall take your opinions into account!


	9. Will's Birthday

"First of all," Emma stated as she sat with the four boys in the common room, "you weren't even invited to Louise Graham's party and second of all you wouldn't even get any during it because she wouldn't let you in."

"That's where you're wrong," Jay spoke up. "She would so let us in."

"Well aren't you forgetting something?" Will asked. "It is someone else's birthday that day."

"Who? The Queen?" Neil asked and they all rolled their eyes as Emma nodded at Will.

"It's Will's birthday and we have to go to his dinner," she said. "He's our true friend."

"Is that real?" Neil piped up. "We actually have to go to a dinner party at your house?"

"Yes," Will said; holding his head up high with a nod. "And it would be nice if you could get a date too."

"Does your mum count?" Neil asked and Jay snorted once whilst Will stood up with his briefcase in his hand.

"No Neil. No she doesn't."

...

"Oh," Emma spoke once as she and the boys walked into Simon's house and she bumped into a tall boy with long black hair as he looked down at her.

"Bonjour," he stated and took her hand, kissing the back of it as Emma looked to the side and Simon rolled his eyes as the French boy walked off and they all stood in the kitchen, wondering what had just happened.

"Who was he?"

"Patrice," Simon said with spite in his voice. "He's my French Exchange and I have to look after him."

"Seems to have taken quite a shine to you Emma," Neil pointed out and the brunette shrugged once.

"Well he takes quite a liking to all of the girls around here so don't count yourself lucky," Simon warned her with a wagging finger as she held her hands up in surrender.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't say anything but I apologise."

"He's French," Jay said. "She wouldn't want him...if she wants filth then she can have it right here."

"I think I shall pass on that window of opportunity Jay," she nodded with a sarcastic smile. "But thank you very much for the option."

"Don't know what you're missing out on."

"Oh I do."

"Anyway," Will snapped, "has anyone managed to get a date for my birthday meal yet?"

"I'm bringing your mum," Neil told him.

"My mum isn't going to be there Neil and you cannot ask her out on a date," Will replied quickly.

"People don't date her," Jay nudged Neil, "they just shag her."

"I'll have to bring Patrice though," Simon said and Will complained silently.

"Fine," he replied. "Bring Patrice if you feel you must."

...

"Salmon wrapped in parmesan," Emma wriggled her nose as she looked over Will's shoulder whilst he typed in famous dishes for his birthday meal and Simon rolled his eyes.

"Why can't we all have Happy Meals?" he asked and Emma chuckled.

"Didn't realise you were still into them. Do the kids toys entertain you?" she wondered.

"No," Simon replied. "I just find them...well...it depends what toy is on."

"Brilliant," Will chuckled whilst Emma poured them all a drink.

"So who do you plan to bring along to this meal then Emma?" Simon asked her, his arms resting on the table as he played with the sleeve to his top, pretending to not be interested in her answer.

"Can I bring my dad Will?" she wondered innocently.

"No you bloody well cannot!" Will cried out and she laughed as he looked at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. Patrice remained stood in the kitchen, flicking through a magazine as Emma stood next to him, pouring the drinks into a glass as she felt his hand rest onto her arse. She jumped slightly as he squeezed her and she quickly spun out from his hold with the drinks, coughing and turning red.

"You need to keep Patrice on a leash Simon," she hissed into his ear and he looked at her with a raised brow.

"He just felt my arse up," she whispered.

"Oh," a female voice interjected before anyone had a chance to say anything else. "I didn't realise we had company Will."

"Well I didn't know he would be coming either," Will spat out, looking at Simon as Patrice stood up tall, flicking his hair from his eyes.

"This is Patrice," Simon said quickly. "And Patrice this is Will's mum."

"Bonjour."

"Oh heck you're French!" she cried out. "Well I just came to tell you I was off to play tennis...yes...don't know why I said that..."

"Mum," Will complained.

"Anyway...I'll see you later. Au revoir Patrice."

"He's been in the country less than seventy hours and already he has made a move on most of the girls we know," Will muttered.

...

"I'd have brought wine but my dad wouldn't let me," Emma said to Will as he let her in and led her to the dining room where the four other boys sat and Patrice wandered into the bathroom, claiming he was off to have a good time.

"I'm surprised he let you out," Jay told her. "Didn't he give you a curfew?"

"Good one," Emma complained, sitting next to Simon and folding her legs under the table whilst Will sat down at the end of the table, pouring a drink.

"Can we at least try to have a civilised evening?" he asked.

"Not once your present arrives," Jay chuckled and Neil winked at him.

"What have you got him?" Simon asked.

"He's going to love her."

"Her?"

"Did you manage to get Charlotte round because Will couldn't do that?" Simon asked and they all chuckled once and Will shook his head as Emma drank her drink.

"We got him a stripper!" Neil exclaimed and everyone but him and Jay looked horrified.

"And how did you manage to afford that?" Simon asked.

"We'll just have a whip round when she gets here," Jay shrugged. "No big one."

"So you got me a middle aged stripper and expect me to pay for her?" Will asked and shook his head, leaving the dinner table as Patrice returned and he took the seat at the head of the table opposite where Will was sitting.

"Well my chicken is ruined!" Will exclaimed and waltzed back into the dining room and he sat back down in his seat.

"Oh," Emma replied. "Is there no way to save it?"

"No," Will snapped, downing his drink again.

"Then we can go to Louise's party?" Jay suggested.

"We weren't invited," Emma pointed out.

"It is irrelevant," Neil shrugged.

"It is a bit dull here," Simon complained.

"Fine!" Will snapped, slamming his fists onto the table. "We can go if it shuts you all up."

And so they all stood up and left the dinner table, walking down the streets of the cul-de-sac and noticing a woman in a black car pull into Will's drive as they left.

"That's the stripper," Jay nudged Neil and they both chuckled as Emma rolled her eyes and they noted Patrice had lagged behind.

"Simon!" she nudged him. "He's peeing in their drive!"

"Oh shit," Simon complained. "He's terrible for that."

"He's done it before?"

"All the time."

"I think we should run and leave him."

"I couldn't agree more," Emma spoke and they began to walk off quickly down the street only to see him gaining on them.

"Run!" Will exclaimed and Emma shook her head as they all began to run and Patrice then overtook her only for the five of them to stop a moment later.

"You could have run with us," Jay hissed when she caught them up.

"He's back and I was not running in heels."

"So who is going to knock?" Will asked and Emma shrugged.

"I'll go," she said.

"I didn't know you knew Louise," Simon spoke as she stood in front of the door.

"She's in my Law. I practically give her the answers and so she should let me in...and there is the fact I actually received an invitation directly and not indirectly through theft," she said as she looked at Jay and he rolled his eyes.

"Emma," Louise said when she opened the door. "You can come in...but your friends can't...but he can," she said pointing at Patrice. Emma walked in as Patrice pushed her forward and Will began to argue with Louise as she said they couldn't come in.

"Fine!" Will snapped. "Have a fun time Emma."

And then the door was shut and Emma was being led off by Louise into the kitchen.

"Emma," a sudden male voice said as Emma tried to make a run from the party and back to her friends on the street. "Long time no talk."

"There's a reason for that," she snapped back at Andrew as he stood in the kitchen, downing a shot of vodka as she looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"No need to be like that Em," he told her. "I broke up with my ex," he slurred. "The shagging wasn't that good."

"Horrific," Emma said, mocking complaint.

"I know...so why don't...you and me...upstairs..."

"I'm good thanks Andrew," she snapped.

"You'd be better with me."

"You're drunk and being a prick," she hissed. "But you're that even when sober."

"No need to be like that babe," he said and made his way to her, his hands resting on her hips as he drew her closer to him.

"Get off!" she snapped as people looked at them and she tried to get his face from coming closer to hers. "I said get off!"

"Hey!" Simon suddenly snapped and jumped into the kitchen, moving Emma from Andrew's grip. "Don't start anything."

"Or what?" Andrew snapped.

"Or I'll...I'll...beat you up!"

"I would like to see you try," Andrew snorted.

"Simon just leave it," she told him.

"Yeah Si...leave..." Andrew said, falling onto the worktop.

"I do not think we should be starting a brawl," Will spoke up and Emma looked at him and laughed once.

"What the hell are you wearing?" she asked and he looked at the black vest top he was wearing.

"I crawled through dog shit and my jacket was dirty."

"But still," Emma said with wide eyes.

The five of them spent the rest of the evening stood in the hallway, time going slowly as they knew no one at the party and yet Emma was managing to have quite a good time. Until she found herself throwing up in the front yard.

"How much did you drink?" Jay asked as he smelt the sick and she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Only a little bit Jayey Bear," she chuckled and they all looked at her.

"I reckon she's got no ethics when she's drunk," Neil piped up.

"Well it is our job as responsible friends to keep her ethics," Will said proudly. "So what do we do with her?"

"I am ready to go back and Partay..." she declared, standing up and falling over.

"Well we can't take her to Gilbert in this state...he'll kill us as well as killing her..." Simon said.

"Well we were going to stay with you Si," Neil said. "Can't Emma come?"

"Maybe it will be for the best," Will said. "And I should come too. I am guessing my mum is still annoyed over the hooker."

"Either that or they're having a good time," Jay suggested and Will rolled his eyes.

"I doubt that."

"Come on then," Will said and they began to walk slowly down the street as Emma stumbled along with them.

"I don't wanna go home!" she moaned. "I wanna go clubbing Si Si."

"Well you can't Emma," Simon said as he dragged her along with her arms over his and Jay's neck.

"I think we should take her. It would be interesting," Jay said.

"Yes Jaysta!" she agreed with him. "Because we can party until the morning light and then until tomorrow night!"

"No Emma," Simon said as her drunken ramblings continued and he finally reached his house and unlocked the front door, handing her over to Will who pulled her into the hallway.

"We're at your house Siey," Emma said and Simon placed a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up," he said. "You'll wake the house."

Emma placed her finger onto her mouth when Simon let go and they began to take the stairs and Emma fell up, giving Jay a good view of the pants she was wearing under her black sequined dress.

"Ow," Emma complained. "Owy owy owy."

"Emma!" Simon hissed as the upstairs light turned on.

"Simon," Mrs Cooper's voice sounded out. "What is going on?"

"Emma got drunk and so we're bringing her here..."

"Sorry Mrs C," Emma said. "I'm a bitty tipsy."

"Well...just...try and keep it down," she said and shut her bedroom door once again as Simon opened his bedroom door and they all bundled into the room, dropping Emma onto the bed as she sprawled out on it.

"Oh," she said. "This is very, very comfortable."

"Glad you approve," Simon said and shut his door.

"So what should we do now?" Will asked.

"We could go to sleep?" Neil said.

"Screw that," Jay said. "I'm going to get us some more vodka!"

"Where from? You're under eighteen and can't afford any." Will said.

"So maybe we should just go to sleep," Simon shrugged and climbed onto his bed, pushing Emma up as she shut her eyes and he rested his head onto his pillow and the three boys looked at him.

"Now we can see why he's so eager for his bedtime," Jay commented. "He's into Emma."

"I am not," Simon replied. "I'm just tired."

"Right," Neil said, unconvinced as they all made makeshift beds and Simon felt Emma grasp onto his hand in her drunken, sleepy state.


	10. Night Out In London

"Emma," Simon nudged the girl in the morning and she moaned in her sleep, her face pressing tighter against his chest as he stiffened at the contact between the two of them. The three other boys had managed to walk down into Simon's kitchen where his mother was preparing breakfast and he was sure they were telling her that he had Emma in his bed. They probably wouldn't mention that was she fully clothed either which would make his mother stress. His dad would just sit there and reminisce over the times when he was young and woke up with a new girl every morning.

"You need to wake up. It is nine in the morning," he told her and her eyes opened wide and she moved away from Simon, sitting up and grabbing onto her head.

"You alright?" he checked with her, sitting up slowly and she shook her head.

"I feel terrible," she complained. "My head...shit...how much did I drink last night?"

"I don't actually know," he admitted to her. "You were littered with a large bottle of vodka and so I am guessing that was enough."

"Bloody hell," she moaned, slumping back onto Simon's bed. "Did you tell my dad?"

"Don't be bloody stupid," Simon snorted.

"And so sleeping beauty awakes," a new voice entered the room and Emma saw Will move in with two plates in his hands as he passed one to Simon and he began to eat the bacon sandwich.

"Simon's mother did make you a sandwich," Will informed Emma and she looked at the spare plate, gulping as she did so and shaking her head.

"I don't think my stomach can handle it," she told Will who shrugged and tucked into it.

"Manage to sleep well?" Jay asked and he entered the room, leaning against the chest of drawers as Neil followed with his mouth full of bacon as he did so.

"I did actually," Emma spoke, sitting herself up and pulling her dress down as Jay raised a brow and looked at Simon.

"It didn't have anything to do with the Statue of Liberty sleeping beside you then?" Jay wondered and Neil raised a confused brow.

"I thought Simon slept with her?" he spoke. "And you didn't actually sleep. You passed out."

"But you passed out in a most graceful manner," Will assured her, seeing she was horror struck at what Neil had just said. She had slept with Simon. What did that mean?

"I had best be going," she said, standing quickly and excusing herself from the room as they all looked at her. "My dad will wonder where I am...has anyone seen my bag?"

"Here," Will said and handed her the black clutch as she placed her heels onto the end of her fingertips.

"I'll drive you home if you want?" Simon told her and she shook her head, opening the door and walking backwards.

"It's fine," she promised him. "I need some air anyway...so I will see you...well tomorrow sometime..."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Neil checked with her and she nodded.

"Completely fine," she spoke, turning around and bumping into the doorframe as she did so. She grabbed onto her forehead and stumbled back slightly, keeping her balance as she ran down the stairs.

...

"Emma!" Will called after her as she walked through the suburbs quickly in her bare feet, not daring to walk in the heels after the blister which she could see on her foot.

"Will," she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought it would be only right to walk you home after you looked flustered earlier," he told her and noted she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"I have nineteen missed calls from my dad. He's going to murder me," she complained and Will nodded once.

"I couldn't agree more," he promised her. "So why did you leave quickly."

"Neil said I slept with Simon," she blurted out the sentence which had been running around her head as she stood still. "What...Will..."

"Ah," Will said simply. "He didn't mean that you had sex with him Emma. He just meant that you shared a bed and you were both fully clothed."

"Oh Christ," Emma muttered, pushing her hair behind her ears. "I didn't think I would have...I just panicked and didn't know what to say..."

"Understandable," Will nodded. "Clearly your feet are going to be in a mess by the time you reach home. I can give you a piggyback if you wish?"

"Seriously?" she checked with him and he nodded once.

"I know it is immature and that our weight does not balance but you do not live miles away." He replied and Emma smiled lightly at him and nodded. He bent over and allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck, her shoes in one hand and her bag in the other before he grabbed her legs and helped her to wrap them around his waist. He began to walk slowly as Emma shook her head in disbelief.

"I cannot believe we are doing this," she complained and Will simply smirked in disbelief.

...

"Emma," Gilbert sighed when he saw his daughter walk into the house. He had been sat in the kitchen, waiting by the phone for her to call and now he was stood in the hallway, his shadow towering over her as she leant against the door.

"Sorry," she offered meekly and Gilbert raised a brow.

"Do you know how worried I was?" he asked her. "I was tempted to call the police if you did not surface in the next hour. Where have you been?"

"I stayed over at Simon's," she muttered, dropping her shoes at the bottom of the stairs as Gilbert raised a brow, waiting for further explanation. "I passed out actually," she assured him more by saying that. "I drank too much and they didn't dare to bring me home in the state I was in and so I just stayed at Simon's."

"And that was all?" Gilbert checked with her and she nodded.

"I would have called but I wasn't in the right state of mind and my phone has died. I am really, really sorry." She told Gilbert, hoping to avoid being berated and he folded his arms, raising a brow at her.

"Do you think the word sorry will stop you from being grounded?"

"Probably not," she whispered.

"Then you would be correct."

...

Jay quickly shut his laptop when he saw Emma walk into the common room on the Monday morning. She had managed to spend her entire Sunday sleeping in her room. Considering being grounded to her room was part of her punishment she enjoyed it on Sunday. But she still looked tired. She had made the minimal effort required for school and had her hair in a messy ponytail on the back of her head as she sat beside Simon on the blue plush seat.

"You look like death warmed up," Will commented and she snorted, yawning once.

"I am completely tried even after sleeping yesterday."

"How was Gilbert?" Simon asked.

"Grounded for a week," she shrugged. "He isn't very strict on parenting."

"That's a lucky escape," Jay whistled lowly. "I would have thought he would have locked you away."

"You are aware that is child abuse?" Will checked with him and Neil frowned.

"But she isn't a child. She's a teenager and Jay's neighbour locked him in his shed," Neil said and Jay quickly shook his head.

"That never happened," he denied.

"Yeah it did," Neil replied "You told me-"

"-Shut up!" Jay snapped and Will shook his head.

"Anyway," he told Emma, "we are trying to reinvent our image so that we aren't sad cases and clubbing came into the equation. What do you think?"

"I think you're not eighteen," Emma said, raising a brow.

"You will easily get in," Jay told her. "You just need to fuck the bouncer."

"No," Emma snapped back at him.

"So are you in?"

"You do know that I will need to sneak out?" she checked with them.

"Oh," Jay squeaked, "sneaking out Emma. How rebellious..."

"Fine," Emma said. "I'm in."

...

"I called shotgun!" Emma snapped at Jay as they stood beside Simon's car. Will and Neil were in the back and waiting for the final person to join them as Emma and Jay continued to argue.

"You're a girl. It doesn't count!" he yelled back at her and she shook her head.

"Then women should be allowed the front seat. It is polite!" she snapped back at him.

"Your place is in the back to suck whoever wants to be sucked off," he replied and Simon leant his head on the wheel in frustration.

"Would you just get in the back Jay!" he yelled.

"Emma did call shotgun," Neil told them and Emma folded her arms, smirking as she did so and Jay shook his head.

"This isn't over," he told her and crawled into the back as Emma put the seat back and took the front seat. Simon noted the way her dress rode up slightly as she crossed her legs and dropped her heels from her feet into his footwell.

"I still cannot believe that you did not realise you could not drive my car," Simon complained to Neil as he began to drive.

"I did think about it," Neil nodded, opening his lager can and drinking some of it.

"I still cannot believe you escaped Gilbert's grasp," Will told Emma and she shrugged.

"I begged him to let me go to Amy's tonight to revise and he agreed," Emma spoke. "I felt bad doing it and lying."

"That's because you're a little bitch," Jay commented and he saw a bus stop come into view and he pushed the back window open. "Watch this," he demanded and pushed his head out the window. "Bus Wankers!" he yelled at the people at the stop and they all burst into laughter apart from one.

"That is completely immature," Emma informed Jay and he shrugged.

"But it was funny."

"It was pointless," she told him. "You do realise that nearly everyone in their lifetime has used a bus."

"Not me," Jay shook his head. "My dad drove me everywhere in the sports car Lewis Hamilton bought him."

"What?" Simon snapped out and Emma banged her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes quickly.

"I can't even be arsed," she informed Jay as they continued the road trip and Neil suddenly burst out;

"I need a piss, pull over Si."

"I can't," Simon said. "Just wait for the next stop."

"I'll do it in my can," he decided and Emma buried her head into her hands, not daring to look at the sight in the back seat but hearing the screams and taking in the smell coming from it.

"Have you pissed in the car?" she screeched out.

"Maybe," Neil muttered.

"It stinks Neil!" Will yelled. "Get rid of it!"

...

"Simon!" Emma snapped at the boy beside her, pointing at the roundabout. "You are going to get stuck going round and round if you don't turn off soon!"

"This is ridiculous!" Jay yelled. "All the muff will have gone when we get there."

"I'm sorry if I have never drove to London before!" Simon yelled back at Jay and finally managed to get onto the right road. "It isn't like any of you are helping me!"

"Hey!" Emma snapped back, holding onto the map tightly as it sat on her lap and she peered over it. "Who had the bright idea to bring a map?"

"I was talking about the sad cases in the back," he told her and Will raised his brows, pushing his glasses onto his nose.

"Emma does take Geography," he pointed out. "We shall leave navigation to her."

"Just because I do Geography it does not mean I know where everywhere in London is," she told them as Neil shook his head.

"I thought that was the point of Geography."

"Here we go again," Jay suddenly piped up and opened his window.

"No!" Simon screeched at him but he had already shouted the two words before the car stopped.

"Why are we stopping?" he asked and noted the red light.

"I tried to tell you!" Simon replied.

"Dear God we're going to die," Will spoke.

"Drive!" Emma commanded Simon.

"Where to?" he asked.

"Shit, they're coming!" Jay exclaimed and Simon turned his car, driving away and then stopping when he saw a concrete slab obstruct his movement anymore.

"Anywhere apart from the pavement," Will muttered as two men approached the vehicle and Emma slumped down in her seat as they moved to Simon's window and grabbed onto his collar.

"I'm a bus wanker am I?" he checked with Simon. "Is that what I am?"

"Sorry," Simon said quickly and Emma leant across, seeing that Simon was visibly scared.

"He's sorry, they didn't mean it, he's sorry," she told the man as Simon continued to shout sorry and he then rolled his window up slowly as the men laughed and retreated away from the car.

"You shit yourself, didn't you?" Jay laughed and Emma turned around to glare at him.

"Says you," she retorted, "you cowered into your seat too!"

"Sorry," he mocked in a high pitched voice. "Sorry...sorry...so sorry that I'm alive and a little suck up...so sorry that I'm alive and a bender..."

"Shut up!" Simon yelled out hastily.

"Sorry Si," Neil replied and Jay laughed loudly before Simon drove off.

...

"I still don't know if I should be parked there," Simon spoke as they reached the club and Emma nodded in agreement.

"They will clamp you," she warned him and Will shook his head.

"No they won't. They can't do that," he spoke as he looked into the queue. "It is too late now anyway."

"Carli!" Simon suddenly shouted as he stopped by the queue and Emma froze in her tracks. He hadn't mentioned Carli being here. Maybe he didn't know she would be.

"So you made it?" she checked with him.

"Yeah...why? Did you not want me to come?" he asked quickly as Will began to speak to another girl and Jay saw Emma's dejected look on her face as he grabbed onto her wrist, pulling her into the queue beside him and Neil. The line of people slowly began to descend and Emma was the first one into the club. Once inside, she turned to see where they all were but they were nowhere to be seen. She was in a club by herself.

"Emma," Carli's voice spoke out and she looked at the girl. Carli always looked so beautiful with her flowing blonde hair and her stylish taste in fashion. And then Emma felt dejected. She was nowhere near as popular as Carli and her brown hair would be matted to her face in the next ten minutes due to the heat of the club. Suddenly, Emma felt inferior as Carli stood next to her. She had even bought a new playsuit which contained black shorts and a sheer red flowered top for tonight and she had managed to stumble to the club in her nude pink heels. But Carli had Simon falling over her.

"You can come with us if they don't get in," she told the girl and Emma nodded once, smiling as she looked to the floor and followed Carli to the bar along with her friend. It took another five minutes before the four of them appeared and by that time Carli had found someone called Adam and her friend had gone off with Dean.

"You need to stop moping after him," Jay told Emma as he stood beside her in the club, his words moving into her ears as she held onto her vodka and coke.

"What are you talking about?" she wondered as they saw Neil move off into the toilets and Jay placed his order quickly for a beer.

"I see the way you look at Simon," he told her with a nod. "He's interested in Carli. You will always be second best."

"You're talking crap," she snorted and downed her drink, ordering another one as Jay shook his head.

"I'm just telling you how it is," he informed her. "Look...you're not a bad looking girl Emma...you're smart too...but...maybe Simon doesn't deserve to be with you..."

"I don't care Jay," she assured him. "I know how he feels about Carli."

"He's an idiot though," Jay told her and shook his head and she looked at him.

"Do you feel like dancing?" she asked him and he shrugged.

"My moves will leave you for dead," he promised her and she laughed, grabbing his free hand and they moved onto the dance floor together.

"I seriously do not think your moves are leaving me for dead," she laughed and Jay grinned, grabbing onto her hand and twirling her under his arm and she laughed hysterically, drinking more of her drink as Jay smiled widely at her.

"Well I have to be on my best behaviour to keep up with you," he grinned back at her and she smirked.

"Do you want another drink?" she asked him and began to move to the bar.

"You should go steady," he simply told her.

"Why?" she wondered. "I know my limits."

...

Clearly Emma didn't know her limits as half an hour later she was completely out of her face. Jay had stuck by her side, making sure no one made a move on her as his arm stayed around her waist and he held her by his side in the corner of the club. And then she did something completely unexpected. but it wasn't really. Jay had been so nice to her that night and had made her feel as if she was worth something. She moved her hands onto Jay's cheeks and pressed her lips tightly against his. Jay was shocked at first. He wondered what she was doing as he moved his arms around her waist, pressing her tighter to him before she pulled away and giggled.

"You're...really...good Jaysta...as in proper not bad..." she informed him and he shook his head.

"What are you doing Emma?" he wondered and she shrugged, tilting her hair back along with her head as she wrapped her arms around Jay's neck.

"I thought it was...supercalifradg...what's the song...it is from Harry Poppin..."

"Marry Poppins," he corrected her. "And it was but that doesn't answer my question."

"Question? Answer. Tell me what you think about that!" Emma laughed loudly and then gulped loudly as she backed away from Jay, coughing loudly and Jay shook his head.

"Bathroom!" he demanded from her but it was too late. Emma threw up in the club.

...

"So you were kicked out for wanking and she was kicked out for throwing up?" Will checked as Jay held onto Emma as she laughed. She was in the very drunken stage which was close to passing out and she couldn't keep her hands off of Jay. Simon looked at the way she was kissing his cheek and neck and he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I was not wanking," Neil snapped quickly.

"So all in all this has been a crap night?" Simon checked and they began to walk back to the car.

"Speak for yourself," Jay muttered.

"Oh that's right," Simon snapped as he unlocked his car. "I didn't realise you were so into her."

"Don't cry Simon," Jay rolled his eyes as he pushed the seat back and helped Emma to lay on the back seat, her dress riding up.

"All I am saying is," Simon drawled, "you have not seemed interested in her before she started to drape all over you because of alcohol and you being nice to her."

"Well someone has to be nice."

"And you seriously think that is you?" Simon snapped and then he saw the wheel was clamped.

"Crap," Neil complained.

Before Simon and Jay could continue to argue there was a man who emerged and yelled at them for parking where they were. They all jumped into the car and shut the doors as the man shook the bonnet. Jay rested Emma against his side as she sat up in the middle seat and her head lolled against his shoulder. Finally they decided on repaying the man when they returned home and he took their number to make sure they did just that.

"Jay," Emma moaned, her arm moving over his waist as she held him tightly. "I feel sick."

"Maybe you should pull over," Will suggested and Simon continued glaring at the road ahead.

"You do know that she will regret what she did with you, don't you?" he checked with Jay who rolled his eyes. Simon didn't pull over and instead he continued to drive quickly down the dark motorway.

"Why would she?" Jay snapped. "She said she enjoyed it. And if I don't know any better than I would say you're jealous."

"Shut up," Simon replied. "She enjoyed it because she was drunk. You shouldn't have taken advantage of her situation."

"She kissed me!" Jay snapped. "I don't know why you're so bothered. You're too busy drooling over Carli to care about Emma."

"I do not drool over Carli," Simon replied.

"Let's just admit it," Jay snapped as Emma snorted once. "You are just jealous that you weren't me two hours ago."

But before anyone could say anything Emma was sick again.

"Jesus Christ!" Will yelled out as her sick fell onto Jay's lap and he cringed away from her as he helped her to sit up again and Simon grinned at what had happened.

"She's not a classy bird, is she?" Neil simply spoke.

...

A/N: So I am back with another chapter! Hope you are all sticking with me and I would love to know what you think! Certainly going to be some awkward situations in the future, huh?


	11. The Effects of Alcohol

Emma stayed over at Simon's that night. She couldn't go back home for Gilbert would have been fully aware of where she had been and who she had been with and that what she had told him was a lie. She had basically passed out on the ride home and it was only one in the morning when he deposited her onto his bed. She had passed out by Jay's side and every time Simon had looked in his rear view mirror he had to put up with Jay's triumphant look on his face, smirking as his hand held onto Emma's. The only thing which cheered Simon up slightly was the fact he was covered in her sick. He had dropped Jay off at his home first so that he could get him out the car and then he dropped Will and Neil off. Once he pulled up into his driveway he let his window stay open to clear the smell of sick. He also hoped someone would steal his car. He pulled Emma's overnight bag from his boot and slung it over his shoulder, finally going to help her from his car.

...

Simon had barely said anything to Emma the following morning. He had set an alarm for half past five so she could leave and be back to Gilbert before he awoke and then she would claim to have left her friend's house early. Simon drove her back to her house, his eyes focused on the road ahead as she looked into her lap.

"You're clearly pissed off with me," she told him in a small whisper and he snorted loudly once. He hadn't gelled his hair due to his lack of time to change and he shook his head, unable to believe she had pointed out the obvious. "What happened?"

"Nothing," he shook his head. "Although you may want to be careful as to what you say around Jay."

"Why?" Emma wondered in a quiet voice as she finally looked across to Simon who was focusing on the road and doing anything he could to stop looking at her as he sighed once, pinching the bridge of his nose and changing gear.

"You snogged him Emma," Simon said. "You were all over him last night. You were drunk and he was sober but he didn't take that into account. He also didn't notice you threw up all over him."

"What?" Emma snapped out loud. "I...Jay..."

"Yeah," Simon nodded once. "I told him it probably didn't mean anything but you know what he is like. He thinks you're into him, which is ludicrous, right?"

"I snogged Jay," she simply whispered. "I snogged Jay. I didn't do anything else, did I?"

"Well if you ask Jay he would say that you have him a blowy on the dance floor," Simon spoke and Emma shook her head. "But because it is you I don't think he would have lied about that."

"No," Emma agreed. "I don't think he would lie. What am I going to do when I see him Si?"

"Tell him that you were drunk and didn't mean it?" Simon suggested to her and she looked at him again and then back out of her window.

"They sometimes say the truth comes out when you're drunk," Emma murmured.

"And so does a lot of other bullshit," Simon snapped.

"You don't need to yell at me," Emma replied in a hiss and Simon shook his head, pulling over to the side of the road and stopping the car, looking at Emma.

"I'm not yelling," he spoke. "I am saying that you were drunk and confused and you need to tell Jay that before it gets too far."

"Why are you even bothered?" Emma wondered. "You have been chasing Carli around for most of your life and you're still not getting anywhere. Do you honestly think I am going to take relationship advice from you?"

"That's the point!" Simon exclaimed, banging his head against his steering wheel in frustration. "None of this is to do with relationships! It is to do with the fact that you were drunk and when that happens you seem to give it up to the nearest person available!"

Emma glared at Simon after he had spoken and he looked at her too, a mixture of anger and hurt on her face as she grabbed onto her bag and climbed from his car, walking along the pavement. She had left her heels and overnight bag and even then she still wore her playsuit from last night as he crawled alongside her.

"I'm sorry," he said after he had managed to roll the window down. "I didn't mean it Emma."

"You knew what you were saying," she snapped at him and Simon rolled his eyes.

"Would you just get into the car?" he pleaded. "I could be done for curb crawling."

"Then why don't you just go away?" she suggested, not looking at him as she walked ahead.

"Because I can't leave you by yourself out here," he replied with haste. "Just get back in and we can talk about it."

"I don't want to," she pouted like a little child and Simon banged on the steering wheel in annoyance. "You made your feelings perfectly clear and so here are mine Simon."

She finally stopped and looked at him as he stopped driving, pulling up his handbrake as she narrowed her eyes.

"You're going after Carli and she doesn't even want you. She has found multiple other people who she would rather date and yet you still don't get the message! All you do is sit around and mope after her when you could be out there and looking for someone else. Do you want to know the annoying part? We all have to sit around and listen to you and I'm fed up with it. I'm fed up with you not realising that she doesn't want you and you don't even know what you had!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Simon hissed at Emma. "What did I even have?"

"You could have had me Simon," Emma replied, standing up and flapping her arms by her side. "I...Simon...I used to like you...but then last night...you had planned to meet Carli there and she doesn't even know how good you can sometimes be when you're not being an arsehole. With you I don't understand."

"Emma-"

"-Don't bother," she shook her head. "I know how you feel and I've moved on, okay?"

...

As soon as Jay opened the door to his house he blinked quickly as he saw Emma stood there. It was mid afternoon and his parents had gone out to the pub with some friends which left him home alone.

"Emma," he spoke and she managed a small smile at him as he allowed her to enter the house. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine actually," she nodded. "I'm sorry for throwing up on you."

"It's fine," he said, rocking back and forth on his heels as he pointed up the stairs. "Do you want to come to my room?"

"Whatever," she shrugged, stuffing her hands into her jeans pockets and she followed him up to the messy area he called his personal home. He pushed stuff from the bed and allowed her to sit down as he sat beside her and she looked into her lap and he wondered what she was thinking.

"Simon told me what happened last night," she spoke eventually.

"Oh," Jay replied and he nodded. "Well it was good-"

"-I was drunk," Emma interrupted him harshly so that he couldn't continue with his praises. "I was drunk and you were kind. I don't want it to ruin our friendship Jay."

"So what are you saying?" Jay asked, boldly allowing his hand to push her hair behind her ear.

"I'm saying that we should forget about it," she said. "I don't want it to be awkward."

"Fine," Jay shrugged. "I mean...it's cool."

"It is?" she checked with him and he nodded once, pouting as he shrugged.

"I mean it was one kiss Emma. You don't need to be so menstrual about it." He said and she shook her head.

"I'm not," she spoke and stood up, managing a small smile.

"It wasn't really that good anyway considering your mouth stunk of alcohol," he responded to her. "I've had better."

"Of course," she chuckled and moved over to his door.

"Your tits were good though. And I won't forget the blowjob," he winked and she rolled her eyes.

"I'll see you later Jay."

Jay heard her leave the house and he remained on his bed, wondering what was even going through her head. He wasn't going to let her bother him. There was plenty more clunge in the sea.

...

A/N: Just a little chapter which doesn't follow the series. Hope it was okay though. Let me know what you think will happen and please review!


	12. The Duke of Edinburgh Awards

"No."

"Emma, come on, it will be fun."

"I said no."

"And why not?" Will demanded to know. "Come on, if Gilbert picked me because I'm a virgin then surely you can help me get one up on him. Please help."

"How many times do I have to say no?" Emma wondered.

"The only time a girl has moaned no to me has been in bed," Jay piped up as they all sat in the cafeteria together. Emma had to resist the urge which came over her to roll her eyes as she heard Jay speak. Neil was sat opposite them, a book open in front of him as he tried hopelessly to revise for a mock exam that afternoon.

"Well, considering you've never had a girl in your bed, I find that hard to believe," Emma spoke back. She took a second to pick at her chips as Jay watched her, his gaze wide and intent on her. They'd been back at school for three days since the weekend, and not once had she mentioned what had happened during the night out in London.

Jay had tried to forget about it. He had tried to push Emma's drunken antics from his brain. It had been difficult and there had been times when he watched her and wished she didn't fancy that prick of a friend. She hadn't spoken to Simon since that morning either. He had told them all what had happened, trying to gain advice. Jay hadn't been able to resist smirking as he heard how Simon had rejected Emma.

"I'd have you in my bed," Jay told her. "We could contest that statement."

"Can we get back onto the point?" Will wondered, his voice curt and taut. "I need volunteers for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. It's important. My old babysitter is going to be there."

"And?" Jay wondered.

"And she's fit," he said back. "Mature...older...beautiful..."

"I think you're in love, Will," Emma said, popping another chip into her mouth as Jay watched her, the motion seeming somewhat seductive.

"Speaking of love," Neil said, picking his gaze up. "Have you spoken to Simon yet?"

"No," Emma curtly replied. "I don't intend to. I know that things are awkward, and I'm sorry for that. I don't want you to pick between us."

"You'd win," Jay said. "Your tits would, anyway."

"Brilliant," Emma complained, noting Simon stood in the queue to buy food. Carli was stood to his side, laughing at whatever he was saying before resting her hand on his arm.

"Look, talk to him," Will urged her. "We know that his hair makes it difficult, but you need to talk with him."

"I don't want to," Emma replied in a mumble like a five year old child. She picked up her tray and moved her chair under the table. She balanced her satchel on her shoulder before looking the three boys. "I'll see you later."

"Where are you going?" Will wondered.

"I have a Geography mock exam later," Emma lied, knowing full well that none of them took Geography. "Good luck with D of E, Will."

"I need more than luck," Will scoffed.

Simon turned around as Carli left him, his gaze focused on her before he saw Emma move towards the bin. He inhaled sharply, remembering Will's advice before he moved across to her.

"Alright?"

Emma whirled around, her hair flying behind her shoulder as she looked at Simon. She eyed him with discontent before placing her rubbish in the bin and resting her tray on top.

"Yeah," she replied numbly. "You?"

"Good," Simon said, looking to the ground for a moment. He looked back up at her as he juggled his tray and backpack. "Look," he said, biting the bullet to try and make it up to her. "The dinner lady gave me too many chips. Do you want to share?"

"I already had some," Emma replied. "Besides, I need to revise for a Geography mock."

"Oh," Simon said. "I was just talking to Carli. She never mentioned a mock exam."

"Of course," Emma said; her hand on her strap to her satchel before she looked to the sky. "Carli again."

"No," Simon said with haste. "I didn't mean that...so...well...please, I don't want to argue with you, Em."

"I don't know what else we can do, Simon," Emma said. "I can't change what happened the other day."

"Did you mean what you said?" Simon asked quickly. "Emma...did you mean that you...well..."

"Yeah," Emma said with a shrug. "But what does it matter? You'll never get over Carli, will you? You'll always be hers. That's the annoying part, Simon."

"Can we just be friends?"

"Yeah," Emma agreed limply. Friends were better than not friends, or so she supposed. "Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you later."

Simon couldn't say anything else as she rushed off to hide in the library.

...

"No," Emma said as she sat at the kitchen table. Gilbert was stood by the counter, filling up the kettle as his daughter looked over her work. She was reading all about the effects of Longshore drift for her AS exams. She needed something to do to get her mind off of Simon and Jay. "I'm fine with water."

"Coffee is full of caffeine, Emma," Gilbert told her, filling his cup with coffee granules. "One day you will see that you can't live without it, especially when you have to control an entire sixth form."

"Then you can get addicted to it," Emma replied to her father. "Anyway, I'm fine sitting her with water and trying to learn this."

"Is it something to do with those friends of yours? Those moronic friends who you insist on hanging around with."

"No," Emma lied. "Speaking of them..." she trailed off, pointing her pen at her father as she spoke. "You don't need to taunt Will over being a virgin. You know that it isn't something to be ashamed of."

"Taunting the boy is much more fun than you can even imagine," Gilbert said to her. "Besides, for a boy to be a virgin at his age...well...it isn't considered something completely normal."

"For a boy not to be a virgin then he normally needs a girl," Emma replied to her father as he poured the water, shaking his head as he turned back to his daughter.

"I want to know nothing of your sex life," he warned his daughter, sipping on the coffee to make sure it wasn't strong. "Although I do hope that it is non-existent. You're my daughter and you're not supposed to date until you're twenty five."

"You let me date Pearce."

"And look how that turned out," Gilbert snorted, shaking his head back and forth. "William McKenzie deserves a good taunt every now and then. It helps to keep me sane."

"Don't be cruel," Emma warned her father. "Anyway, go and watch TV and leave me alone. I have revision to do."

"That's what I like to hear," Gilbert spoke before leaving her alone.

Emma smirked in disbelief before she saw her phone flash with a text message. She picked it up, reading that it was from Simon and her eyes widened. Did he have a death wish? Apparently he was parked right outside her house.

"Emma!" Gilbert called out. "What is Cooper's yellow shit car doing here?"

"No idea," Emma said, moving to the door and picking her keys up from the sideboard. "I'll go and find out."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't," he warned her as she slammed the door and let him be. She folded her arms, completely wishing that she had remembered her jacket as she opened the passenger side door to Simon's car.

"What are you doing here?" Emma snapped. "You know that my dad dislikes you already."

"I need to talk to you. I've had to spend tonight listening to my dad demand my laptop to watch porn because my parents are going through a rough spot. I've endured last night working in an old people's home with Neil...and Jay is treating me like shit for some reason."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Emma wondered.

"Because...well...I know that things aren't right with us...and I need you to know what I feel."

"I think I know," Emma assured him.

"Just get in. I'll take you for a drive thru."

"I have to revise, Simon, but-"

"-Please," he pleaded with her.

She groaned but did as he had asked, sliding into the car and turning the heating up as Simon began to drive. He drove slowly to the nearest McDonalds, ordering her chicken nuggets and she looked to him, wondering how he knew they were her favourites. Parking in the back of the car park, he dug into his fries and handed Emma her food.

"What's happening with your parents?" Emma dared to ask.

"They're arguing," Simone complained to her. "They're always arguing. I think they'll be fine in the end though."

"I hope so," Emma said for Simon's sake. "And how is Will and the D of E scheme?"

"I think he's gone mad," Simon informed her. "We put hair removal cream in his pants today, so when he goes on his date he'll be hairless."

"That's cruel," Emma said, trying to hold back a laugh as she ate a chicken nugget and Simon chewed on a fry, looking across to her with a smile.

"But funny," he pushed and she finally burst out into full on laughter, doubling over as Simon watched her, unable to stop himself from laughing with her.

"Quite funny," she nodded in agreement with that. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"Us," Simon said. "I know that I shouldn't have been that harsh on you that morning. I just...I didn't want you to be with Jay."

"Why?"

"He's really not good enough for you," Simon told her straight out.

"And who are you to say that?" Emma wondered. "You're lusting after Carli, Simon. You're lusting after a girl who doesn't want you."

"But...one day...I know that we will be together. It has to happen, Emma. I love her."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You don't know what love is, Simon. We're teenagers. We have no idea what love is."

"But I am sure about Carli," he told her. "She's perfect."

"But uninterested," Emma said.

"You're not."

Emma could say nothing to that, knowing full well that she still did care for Simon. She cared for him more than she cared to admit.

"And I do care for you, Em," Simon said. "You're pretty, clever and...well...intelligent...and beautiful..."

"You're repeating yourself."

"Oh, yeah, right," Simon numbly said, coming to realise that. "But, the thing is, Emma...I don't want to hurt you. I do care for you, and I was...well...I felt something when I saw you all over Jay...but..."

"I'm not Carli," she finished the conversation for him, dropping her hand to her lap as she said the words. She didn't know they would hurt so much. She never thought any of this possible.

"No," Simon said, chewing a chip. "And you deserve someone's...well...someone who will love you like I love Carli."

"Hmm," Emma agreed numbly, chewing on the fast food with haste. She said nothing as she felt Simon rest his hand on her arm, trying to appease her.

"I still want to be your friend, Em," Simon said. "You're the only intelligent one out of us."

"Will is pretty clever."

"Not as easy to be around," Simon replied, finishing his chips. "So can we just try and put this behind us? I want it to be how it was."

"What else is there to do?" Emma wondered; finishing her nuggets and dropping the box to her lap before Simon started the car up.

"God," Simon drawled out, "I'm so happy we sorted that out. Carli likes you, you know? She says you're clever and kind. Maybe you can be friends in the future...maybe you can even..."

Emma stopped listening to Simon's ramblings as he drove her back home, bidding her goodnight before she went back into the house. She slammed the door shut, leaning against it as she felt tears prick at her eyes. Carli would always hold Simon's affection. She would always be the one who Simon wanted, regardless of how much Emma cared for him.

"Emma," Gilbert's voice entered the hall as he moved from the living room. "Where have you been? You left your phone here."

"Simon...he...well..." Emma said, running a hand under her nose before a tear moved down her cheek.

Gilbert took a moment to arch a brow, wondering what to do with his crying daughter.

"No," Gilbert said. "Did he hurt you?"

"No!" Emma snapped. "Well...not...like that...but he..."

"Oh Emma," Gilbert complained. "Everyone knows Cooper is in love with that blonde girl. Don't tell me you like him. You're far too clever for him. Besides, why would you want to go out with someone who drives a yellow piece of shit?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking her head as she smiled to her dad.

"See," Gilbert said, "you don't need him. You don't need anyone until you're twenty five."

"Maybe not," Emma agreed weakly, moving to climb the stairs. "Thanks for the pep talk, dad."

"Anytime," Gilbert spoke, "and Cooper best watch out. He'll be having months of detention if he comes anywhere near me."

...

A/N: I haven't updated this in so long! Recently gained some inspiration so I hope the chapter wasn't too bad. If you've come back to read this, then thank you very much!


	13. Exam Time

"Will, you seriously need to quit with the energy drinks," Emma urged him as the two of them sat in the library during their free period. She looked over to him, a slight amount of concern coming over her as she opened her Geography text book and he studied over Politics. Emma took a moment to watch him, wondering how his stomach had survived.

"No," Will shook his head, flipping the page and beginning to highlight again. "Energy drinks are good for the brain."

"Not for your bowels," Emma replied; her brow arched as she shook her head at him, unable to believe how many energy drinks he had consumed. She worried for his health more than he did.

"What does it matter?" Will complained all of a sudden, leaning back in his chair and slamming the book shut. That earned him a 'shush' from the librarian. Emma mouthed sorry to her before edging closer to Will.

"It matters because these are your AS levels," Emma informed him. "Anyway, have a break and begin again in a moment."

"Will it do any good?" Will complained to her, his head shaking back and forth.

"It will when I tell you what I found out today," Emma promised him. "Jay has a girlfriend."

"Well that makes me feel worse," Will complained; flapping his hands in the air. "Is she real?"

"I drove past them on my driving lesson. He was holding her hand, so it seems official."

"I'm amazed he's gotten over you so fast."

"There never was anything between me and Jay," Emma reminded him. "Honestly, Will, there was...well...I care for Jay...but to go out with him? It's a completely different story."

"Yeah, I guess. It's like me and Charlotte."

Emma refrained to ask how it was exactly like Will and Charlotte. She chose to keep quiet before flipping a page, her brow arched as she brought up the delicate subject of Simon.

"Simon picked me up this morning. He said he went over to yours and you told him to get out."

"I was stressed," Will explained, "and all he kept going on about was Carli D'Amato. I get fed up of listening about her. She's clearly not interested in him. I don't know why he can't see that."

"She's always had him wrapped around her little finger," Emma shrugged, an air of nonchalance to her tone as she did so. She glanced over to a figure moving towards them, forcing herself to smile as Simon sat down beside her.

"Alright," he grunted out to them.

"Fine," Will said. "Look, about the other night...I didn't mean to snap...it's just that politics is important to me. I know I was a dick."

"You were." Simon agreed.

Emma kicked him under the table, looking at him with a narrowed gaze.

"He's trying to apologise," she snapped. "Just accept it."

"I agreed with him! We're fine anyway."

Simon pulled out a textbook and Emma glanced at it, her brows furrowing. She glanced down at her own textbook and noticed that it was the same as her Geography book.

"Si...I know you're not very clever," Emma began, "but even you have to know that you don't study Geography."

"Oh, I don't. Carli is struggling so I said I would help her."

Emma and Will exchanged brief glances between each other, wondering exactly what was happening. She took a moment to let that information sink in before she smiled in disbelief, shaking her head back and forth.

"So when are you revising for your own exams? You know, the ones in the next week?" Will wondered from Simon.

"I'm not," he said. "There's always resists."

"You're a bloody idiot," Emma scoffed, shaking her head and looking down to her work. "She's treating you like shit. When will you see that?"

"She's struggling-"

"-And I'm not?" Emma hissed. "I don't go around asking for Will to help me, do I?"

"I don't think his bowels could cope with that," Simon said.

"Oh, I've actually managed to be dragged into your domestic? Brilliant," Will complained and continued to do his own work.

"That's not the point," Emma snapped back. "The point is, she is using you. You're just too stupid to see it."

"This could be my chance with her," Simon snarled. "Of course you would try and ruin it."

Emma's cheeks turned red before she grabbed her textbooks and stuffed them into her satchel. Will watched in silence, knowing full well that Simon had been out of order with her. Why could he not just keep his mouth shut? He didn't know.

"Why don't you go and fuck yourself, Simon? Seeing as you'll never be able to fuck her."

Emma's retort rang in his ears as he watched her walk off, his hands balling into fists as he grumbled under his breath. He lifted his gaze when he felt Will watching him, his head shaking back and forth in disapproval.

"Oh, piss off." Simon muttered.

...

"I take it that you don't know," Will whispered when he saw Emma the following day. The two of them were on the way to their final exam. History was being held in the hall along with Politics.

"What?" Emma wondered.

"Well...Simon and Carli...he sort...well he did kiss her last night. He text us all about it."

"Pathetic," Emma shook her head, her eyes glancing to the sky as she stood outside the hall. She could see her father berating Jay and Simon over something. Emma smiled at Jay, glancing over to Simon before her father demanded her attention.

"He's had a week of detention assigned to him," Gilbert said, glaring at the back of Simon's head.

Emma pulled at her satchel, smiling down to the ground as she heard her father.

"Why?"

"For his hair," Gilbert complained. "I really can't handle it."

Gilbert watched as his daughter smirked and looked into his eyes.

"He had his phone in the exam. I took it from him. Your other moronic friend did the same too. Both of them are idiots. You can get better friends."

"I'm aware," Emma said. "Anyway, I'm going to the pub tonight to celebrate the end of exams."

"No drinking," Gilbert warned her.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Emma said.

"And good luck. Don't mess it up. It wouldn't reflect well on me."

Emma dropped her bag at the front of the hall with everyone else, carrying her pencil case back to her seat. She passed Will, smiling at him as she went. She sat down and waited for the exam to begin. She wrote as fast as she could, trying to remember everything she had learned in the passing weeks. She continued working, noting that Will had asked to go to the bathroom. She knew he shouldn't have had so many energy drinks. It wasn't very clever of him.

But she didn't know what he was going to do next.

The sound echoed around the hall, snapping her from her booklet as she looked over to Will who was calling for her father. Her eyes widened and she wondered if he could possibly have just shat himself. Surely not. But as he waddled to the toilet, she saw that it was true.

Everyone moaned at the smell, but then laughed after the exam. He would never live it down now. He had to know that.

...

Emma stood at the bar beside Neil as he drained his lager. She stuck to her cola, sipping it through a straw as she looked around the crowded pub.

"So, did it sound like a shit?"

"What?" Emma wondered as Neil asked the question from her.

He looked down at her, shrugging whilst sipping on his lager.

"Well, did it sound like he had shit himself, or did it sound like a fart?"

"I don't really know," Emma said, noting that a figure similar to Will had walked into the pub. "You can go and ask him now, Neil. I am sure he will be happy to retell the tale to you."

"Brilliant," Neil said, moving forwards.

Emma followed as they all taunted Will. She shook her head and bought him a drink, waiting for him to approach the bar.

"Will, you shouldn't have brought the bag of shit with you," Emma warned him, sliding the pint to him.

"Thank you very much." Will said. "Besides, it doesn't make a difference, does it? I can't be mocked anymore, can I?"

"I suppose not," Emma said. "But...I did tell you not to have so many energy drinks."

"Well, now I know," Will said. "I suppose I will be joining Simon for the resits then."

"I see he's gone to find Carli somewhere."

"And Jay has gone outside with Chloe." Will said as Emma looked at the bag which Will was holding as he ordered another pint.

"Give me that," Emma demanded, snatching the bag from him. "I'm binning it, Will."

"As you wish, Miss Gilbert." Will replied and Emma wondered how much he intended to drink that night.

She shook her head, seeing Simon stood with Carli before she left through the back door searching for a bin. She dumped the trousers in there, hearing a sniffing noise as she whirled around to see where it had come from. The sight which greeted her was one of shock. Jay was sat on the wall, tears rolling down his eyes.

"Jay," Emma whispered, snapping him from his daze. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

"That's a lie," Emma replied, pulling at her skirt and moving to sit beside him, leaning forwards and looking at him as she clasped her hands together.

"Chloe dumped me," he complained. "She said I was too needy."

Emma found that hard to believe. She shook her head, thinking of what to say. She didn't gain a chance to, for Jay was already speaking again.

"The thing is...she was nice...and pretty...but...I was just flattered she was interested in me, I guess. That was all it was. After...you..."

"Jay," Emma sighed, "You don't truly like me."

"No," Jay challenged her. "That's the thing. I do like you, but you're so hung up over that prick Simon to notice. Everything you do intrigues me, Emma...watching you...and when you eat chips...I just watch, thinking how sexy you look."

Emma stifled a laugh as Jay laughed at himself. She placed a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening.

"Seriously?" she wondered from him. "You think I'm...you think we..."

"I have for a while. I have since you pulled me in the club. It's not something you forget, Em," Jay warned her. "But I couldn't say anything to you, could I? We all know you want Simon."

"I can't have Simon," Emma said. "He's in love with Carli."

"He's an idiot," Jay said. "If you were my girlfriend I'd never let you go."

Emma forced herself to smile at him, the thought seeming to warm her slightly. Jay shook his head, daring to move closer to her.

"You deserve someone who cares...well...I do care...but..."

"You could come to care," Jay urged her. "Please, don't be miserable because Simon follows his cock. You could give us a go, Emma. We have an entire Summer of nothing. You could try then, couldn't you?"

Emma kept quiet, biting down on her bottom lip as she took a few moments to think about what he was asking from her. She didn't want to hurt Jay. That was not what she wanted to do. But there was a part of her which felt as though she could try. Simon didn't want her. Jay did.

Her thoughts consumed her, leaving her no time to notice how Jay had moved his hand to rest on her cheek, his mouth slowly coming closer to hers. She closed her eyes as he finally kissed her, his actions surprisingly tender as he placed his other hand on her waist. Emma hadn't suspected he could be so soft and gentle.

She slowly moved closer to him, realising that kissing Jay wasn't too bad. It was quite soothing, if she had to be honest. That was until the door opened.

"You moved on fast."

The two of them pulled away and looked at where Simon, Neil and Jay stood. Simon had been the one to speak, his gaze on Emma.

"Chloe dumped him."

"And what about you?" Simon wondered. "I always knew Jay wanted into your pants."

"Ignore him," Will spoke. "He is just gutted because Carli got back with Tom."

Emma arched a brow then, standing up as Jay kept his hand on her back.

"So that kiss meant nothing?" Emma checked with him. "You failed your exams for nothing."

Simon glowered at her as she spoke. He looked to Jay for a moment before shaking his head in annoyance. "Just like that kiss will mean nothing to you in a while."

"Don't get mad just because Carli doesn't want you," Jay warned Simon. "You've known it all along. You've just been too blind to see it."

"Oh, I get it," Simon said. "You waited for me to reject Emma so that you could have her, is that it?"

"I'm not a possession," Emma snapped at Simon. "And I told you all along that Carli didn't want you. You should have known from the start. Besides, what is it to do with you if me and Jay get together?"

"You're both on the rebound. It won't work out."

"You don't know that," Neil said. "I mean...the Queen and her husband are still together."

"What?" Will wondered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Neil said as if it was self-explanatory.

"Whatever," Simon said, pulling car keys from his pocket. "Do you want a ride home? I can't be bothered to argue with you. You'll both end up heartbroken, so don't come crying to me when it ends up broken."

"Oh, I wouldn't come crying to you if you were the last human on earth," Emma assured him, her own tears threatening to spill over. "No. I'm walking home. I want to be by myself."

She moved away from Jay, storming off into the darkness as Simon watched her go, knowing full well that she couldn't go by herself.

"I'm going after her," Jay said.

"No. I am," Simon challenged.

"Neither of you are," Will said. "I'll get her home. Both of you leave her be for some time. She's a woman. They're temperamental and emotional."

Will chased after Emma, calling her name as she slowed down and turned around to look at him, rubbing her eyes as he offered her his arm. She smiled at him and took hold of it, leaning against him and dropping her head to his shoulder.

"Simon was unfair," Will said.

"Maybe, maybe not," Emma complained. "Jay is on the rebound."

"He never liked Chloe, not as much as he likes you."

"That's not the point," Emma complained. "I mean, Jay is lovely...rude, a compulsive lair and annoying...but he under that...he's sweet...Will...but...I don't want to hurt him...I don't want to hurt him like Simon's hurt me."

"You have summer to think about it," Will told her, resting his cheek on top of her head as they walked silently, both of them thinking of what had just happened.

...

A/N: Two updates in two days. It is a novelty. Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed and have stuck with this! I hope you're enjoying so far.


	14. Summer Seduction

"If I wanted to go out then I would have said," Emma assured her father as she sat on the sofa for the second day in a row. The summer holidays had begun and a weekend had passed. She'd heard nothing from any of her friends. Will had walked her home after her argument with Jay and Simon, but she hadn't seen him since.

Her father had come in on the Tuesday morning to see his daughter still dressed in her pyjamas and watching daytime TV. He stood by the door to the living room, his hand holding the frame as he sighed, shaking his head back and forth as he watched her. He was struggling to believe how antisocial his daughter truly was.

"You do need to get out, Emma," Gilbert urged her. "I can expel Simon if it would help?"

"No," Emma said, a smile on her face as she did so. "I think it may make some kind of sense, but what does it matter? I'm going to have to see his face again one day."

"No one warned me about love sick teenagers when I signed up to become a dad."

"You didn't sign up," Emma reminded him. "Mum always told me that I was a mistake."

"Yes," Gilbert contemplated. "She wasn't wrong about that. She was wrong about most things, but not that."

Emma said nothing as she flicked channels once more, doing her best to find something interesting to watch for an hour or two. Gilbert shook his head and checked his wallet was in his pocket before speaking;

"I'm going out for the day. I have a course in Fulham. Will you be alright by yourself?"

"I'll try not to eat my body weight in ice cream," she promised her dad.

"You won't," he assured her. "You ate it all last night."

"Damn," Emma complained as Gilbert grabbed his briefcase.

"Be good!" he yelled to her.

Emma flounced back on the sofa before turning the TV off. She couldn't spend time in the house alone; she feared she may go mad if she did. She stood up with haste, moving up the steps to her bedroom to change into a summer dress. She grabbed her ballet pumps and left the house, knowing who she had to talk to.

...

Jay sat on his bed for the second day. His parents were both at work and so he was home alone. He had done nothing for the past two days but stay in his room, only surfacing for food. He almost didn't move when he heard the doorbell ring. He was pretty sure it would only be someone trying to sell something.

But then the ringing became persistent.

"Alright," Jay snapped, moving from his bed. "Bloody hell, I'm coming."

He moved down the stairs, zipping up his yellow jacket as he pulled the door open and saw Emma stood on his doorstep. He took a moment to look at her with wide eyes, noting how she looked quite radiant. Jay had to admit that he had seen Emma in a different light ever since that night out in London. He looked over her shoulder to see Will and Neil stood there.

His thoughts of a fuelled day of sex died then and there.

"Hey," Emma said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Did you fancy coming out for the day?"

"And doing what?" Jay wondered. "Hanging around parks with little children?"

"Um, no," Will answered back. "I have my Frisbee. Unless you want to be with little children, in which case you're welcome to do that. However, I will warn you that it is illegal."

Emma rolled her eyes as she looked at Jay, a small smile on her face as she did so. "So? Do you want to come?"

"I guess I have nothing better to do," Jay complained, grabbing his keys and slamming the door shut. He tucked his hands into his pockets as he walked besides Emma, leaving Neil and Will to speak about the concept of Frisbee together.

"Are we inviting Simon?" Jay wondered.

"Will text him," Emma muttered. "He's meeting us at the park."

"Great," Jay complained. "I guess we can expect another telling off."

Emma looked over to him, wondering what she should say about the other night. She didn't know how to tell Jay that she didn't like him in that way. She didn't want to lead him on. It wasn't fair on him.

"Look," Emma whispered, "the other night..."

"I guessed that you didn't want to talk about it," Jay told her. "I mean, you didn't call...text...facebook...bebo..."

"You still use bebo?" Emma wondered, her brow arched.

"No," Jay said, his voice low as he did so. He looked back at her, his face one with a smirk as she laughed at him, bumping his shoulder as she rolled her eyes.

"Bebo," she whispered. "Honestly, Jay."

"So, I do get it, Em," he assured her. "I just wish that I didn't. Simon-"

"-He isn't worth it," Emma agreed before Jay could say anything. "It doesn't change anything though, Jay. Besides, you deserve someone better."

"And with bigger tits," Jay clarified. She slapped him across the arm and fell into a gentle conversation with him.

The four of them arrived at the park, spotting Simon's yellow car parked at the back of it. He was stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for them all to arrive.

"You do know that a Frisbee is for dogs, don't you?" Simon checked as they took the path into the park.

"Then you should be excellent at it," Jay commented. "You whine like a little bitch."

"Ha," Neil barked out a laugh, turning to look at Simon, "because a bitch is a dog."

"Is it?" Simon wondered, his voice sarcastic. "Thanks for clearing that up, Neil."

"No problem." Neil said as Will threw the Frisbee and Neil chased after it.

Simon did his best to avoid talking with Jay and Emma for the entire morning, choosing to ignore the pair of them. He didn't know what to say to them. He knew that he had been rude when he had seen them. He didn't know why. He assumed it was because he had broken up with Carli. She'd got back together with Tom. If only Tom knew how lucky he was.

And then Simon watched Emma as she ran around and challenged Will. He couldn't help but find her attractive. He honestly did. He just didn't love her. But Carli didn't love him. She didn't even want him. Why shouldn't Simon have Emma? She wanted him.

He wondered if he would ever get her alone. The moment only came when she fell to a heap on the floor, her ankle twisting underneath her. She yelled out in pain as the four boys came flocking.

"It's twisted," Will said. "You need to ice it."

"Do you see any ice here?" Jay snapped back. "I'll take her home."

"How?" Simon wondered.

"I'll carry her."

"I have a car," Simon said. "I'll take her home."

"No. I can manage."

"You're not that fit."

"Are you implying she's fat?"

"No. I'm implying you're weak."

"At least I don't spike my hair like a girl."

"At least I-"

"-Shut up!" Emma snapped at both of them. "Simon, just drive me home."

Simon looked triumphant as Neil helped to pick Emma up and she hobbled back to his car. She sat in the passenger seat as Will walked to the driver's door to speak with Simon.

"Don't mess with her mind," Will warned him. "She only organised this day so that you could get back onto speaking terms with each other."

"I'm hardly going to analysis her, am I?" Simon replied. "She's not going to have a mental breakdown."

Simon sat down in the driver's seat and started his car up. He reversed slowly before driving down the busy roads due to road works.

"I'm sorry," Simon blurted out as he sat in the rows of cars.

Emma turned her gaze towards him, her expression patient.

"I didn't mean to yell at you the other night. I just...Jay? Really, Em? I know you don't like him."

"How do you know?" Emma wondered. He kept quiet, not too sure what he should tell her. "Oh, that's right, you think I am hung up over you. Do you think I'm the Simon to your Carli?"

"What?" Simon wondered from her. "Look, I'm just saying that I think I was annoyed when I saw you with Jay."

"Why?" Emma wondered. "You're hardly concerned over my reputation, are you?"

"No," Simon replied. "I am concerned over how I felt."

Emma's eyes widened as she heard him speak that. He pulled the handbrake up and shrugged; the motion nonchalant as Emma continued to stare at him.

"I don't know," Simon admitted. "I mean, I do love Carli, but she doesn't love me. She never has...and she probably never will..."

"We've only been telling you that for months on end," Emma rolled her eyes. "Look, you need time to understand how it is you feel."

Simon moved again, almost stalling the car as he drove with haste to make the traffic light.

"Do I need time?" Simon wondered. "I mean, you're pretty, Emma...and clever...and-"

"-I'm a rebound," Emma said, remembering what he said as they pulled up to her house. Simon helped her out the car, his arm around her waist as she rested her own hand on his shoulder, steadying herself as her face came close to his. Simon placed his other hand on her waist, making sure she was upright as his eyes searched hers and she looked back at him.

"How can Carli be so blind?" Emma whispered to him. "How can you care for her when she treats you like crap?"

Simon gulped for a moment, shrugging against her as he did so.

"Look," Emma said, patting his chest. "You need time, Simon. I'm not going to be second best to you...not because of Carli...just like I can't allow that to happen to Jay."

Simon said nothing and helped her to get inside. He looked around her freezer for a bag of peas. She sat in the kitchen as Simon pulled out another chair to elevate her leg and rest the peas against her ankle.

"Is your dad out?" Simon asked her, becoming terrified at the prospect of Gilbert walking in.

"Yeah, he's on a course," Emma nodded. "He's not going to come back and kill you."

"Good," Simon said, his pulse racing as he thought of he wanted to do. He'd thought about it since he walked her in from his car. He moved quickly, his lips suddenly pressing against Emma's. She jumped for a moment; her eyes open wide as Simon moved his mouth against hers, his hands holding her waist delicately.

Simon closed his eyes, doing his best not to think of Carli. He found it surprisingly easy not to if he had to be honest. Emma draped her arms around his neck as he pulled back for a moment. She caught her breath as Simon remained stood where he was.

"God," Emma whispered.

"Yeah," Simon agreed with her, standing tall once more.

Emma felt her cheeks flush as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "Look...we need...well...that was random, Si."

"I wanted to do it," Simon shrugged back. "You know...to see how it felt..."

"And?" Emma wondered.

"It was nice," Simon said, unable to do anything as Emma nodded.

"We can't rush this, Si," she urged him. "I mean...we still need time..."

"Yeah," Simon agreed, grabbing his car keys. "I should leave then, shouldn't I? We need time to process that...you need time...I need time...luckily we have a lot of it."

Emma couldn't move as she watched Simon move to the door. She looked down the hall, calling after him to ask why he had acted in that way. If only she knew it was just to hide the ache in his pants.

...

A/N: Thanks to all reading and following! Do let me know what you think!


	15. Rapid Revelations

Emma moped around the house for what seemed like the majority of the summer. Truth be known, she scarcely wanted to go out and do anything. She would have spent the entirety of her time in her pyjamas and watching endless reruns of _Jerry Springer, _but her father seemed quite set against that.

But then there came the age old question. Did she text Simon or did she wait for Simon to text her? She didn't know. She constantly checked her mobile every day to no prevail. An entire week had passed her by and she was still none the wiser as to what Simon wanted from her. She knew that she had felt something from his kiss, even from him holding her waist.

She just didn't know what it was. The strange part was that Jay hadn't even bothered to call her or make any type of contact. It was only Will who had graced her with his presence when her father had gone out one day.

He had told her to wait for Simon to make his mind up; reminding her that Simon was as stupid as Neil when it came to girls.

No, the next time she saw Simon was when they all agreed to go and watch a film in the local multiplex. Her father hadn't looked too impressed with her, but she reminded him that her only friends happened to be boys who she wouldn't look twice at. If only he knew the truth. She suspected he may have a heart attack.

"What are we going to see?" Emma wondered as she and Will sat in Nandos, waiting for the others to turn up.

Simon was probably driving, but Will said that he would go with Emma to save her from any awkwardness between her and Simon alone in a car. Jay and Neil had turned up to go shopping earlier, but had yet to appear for lunch.

"Some superhero film, I think," Will informed her, sipping on the cola in front of him.

They had managed to acquire a booth in the chicken restaurant and had spent their time drinking whilst scanning the menu, drooling over the chicken on offer. Emma kept her eyes peeled on the window into the shopping centre, wondering if anyone would even remember what time they were supposed to meet.

"I think this could be Simon," Will spoke as they noted him push the door open and look around, his eyes clearly scanning for them.

"I think we would notice that hair anywhere," Emma mumbled back, chewing on the straw to her lemonade as Simon spotted them and slipped into the booth, his hands in the pockets of the zip up jacket he wore.

"Hey," he spoke, looking at them with his lips set in a firm line.

"Simon, long time no see," Will said.

"It's been a week," Simon reminded him. "And you text me every single day."

"So you do have a phone?" Emma checked back and Simon looked at her, knowing that he was obviously in trouble with thanks to her heavy set glare and the folding of her arms against the red and green checker dress she wore.

He gulped and lowered his gaze to the table before Will felt the tension and noted Jay and Neil moved into the restaurant.

"Ah, here comes Jay and Neil," Will said; clasping his hands together. "I will go and...well...recommend something from the menu and we will...well...just give you two a moment..."

Will made his escape and Simon sighed loudly before looking over to Emma and she kept her eyes set on the wall on the far side of the room, scared she might say something brash and regret it in the end. She doubted that would happen, but she never knew.

"You said that we needed time," Simon reminded her suddenly and she looked back at him, her orbs widening with each passing time. "I thought that you-"

"-You ran out as soon as you kissed me," Emma hissed at him. "You just ran, Simon. I didn't know whether to text your or what. What did you think I would do? Did you think I would understand? Seriously?"

Simon kept silent, biting down on his lip as he did so. He didn't know what to say to her, but he knew that he had to tell her something to stop her from yelling at him in the middle of a chicken restaurant.

"Look," Simon said, levelling completely with her, "I still think we need some time. Maybe we could give it until Christmas? Maybe that would be for the best? See if Carli...well..."

It was then when Emma saw red. She stood up and slid from the booth, her appetite well and truly leaving her. She looked down at Simon as he tried to follow her, his hand finally grasping her wrist. She bent down at the waist to hiss at him, doing her best not to create a scene as he sat by the end of the booth.

"So you get jealous when I kiss Jay, but then you don't want me when you can have me?" Emma checked. "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to sit and wait for you to make your mind up?"

"No," Simon said. "I just knew that you would never mean a lot to Jay, Emma. I didn't want to see him-"

"-No," Emma cut him off. "I don't care what you want anymore, Simon. It doesn't matter to me. If I want to see Jay then I can. God, I was stupid for thinking you even cared."

She grabbed her satchel from the other side of the booth and slung it over her shoulder, storming from the restaurant with her leather jacket slung over her arms. She pushed past Jay, Neil and Will, all of them knowing that it was best to keep quiet once they saw her rush past them.

"What did the twat do this time?" Jay wondered; rolling his eyes as Simon made his way over to them, his hands still in his pockets as he went.

"Nothing," Simon replied. "She's menstrual...that's all there is to it..."

"Really?" Will arched a brow. "And this has nothing to do with you kissing her the other day and then running off?"

"What?" Jay snapped back. "You kissed her and then left her?"

"Yes...no...I don't actually see how it is any of your business, Jay," Simon snapped back. "Emma is old enough to kiss who she pleases."

Jay rocked back and forth on his heels, folding his arms over the polo shirt he wore tucked into jeans before he looked back at Simon with a smug look. Of course he couldn't commit to Emma. He was still madly in love with Carli, even though she would never love him back. That was a simple fact which he needed to see soon enough.

"Look," Jay spoke, "why don't you just set her straight? You'll always spend your life pining over Carli and wasting Emma's time."

"Because I don't know what I want to do," Simon snapped, his teeth grinding together as his cheeks turned a deep red. "I told her that we both needed time. Why can she not just accept that? Why can she not be fine with that?"

"Well if you need time then you can't care enough for her," Neil suddenly spoke out and Simon arched a brow. "I read it in my sister's book. It said that you know if someone is the one for you because you won't hesitate."

"Rubbish," Jay suddenly spoke out.

"As a child whose parents divorced because the dad cheated, I can actually agree with Jay on this one," Will spoke up. "But there is a difference between hesitation and torturing, Simon."

"I'll go and find her," Jay drawled out. "You twits get your chicken."

"No," Simon shook his head. "You only want her because you're on the rebound from Chloe."

"And you're on the rebound from Carli," Jay reminded him slowly. "I think she would be happier to see me."

It was only at that moment when they saw Emma moved back into the restaurant, her orbs full of determination as she went. She ignored Simon completely as she swooped in and stood before Jay, rocking back and forth on her heels and closing her eyes before she pressed her lips against his. Jay remained shocked for a few moments as Emma pulled back and then looked to Simon.

"At least he actually cares," Emma snapped and Simon shook his head.

"That was pathetic."

"Well, I guess we're even," Emma responded.

Truth be known she didn't know what had possessed her to act in such a manner. She didn't usually go around snogging guys because she felt like it. She was just annoyed at Simon. She was annoyed that he thought he could get away treating her like crap. Jay spoke crap, but he never treated her like it. Why could she not like Jay more? She did like him in a way, but she knew she longed for Simon more. She just couldn't have him.

"Jay," Neil nudged his friend, "have you got a boner?"

Jay shook his head and Emma looked over her shoulder to him, her eyes moving to his crotch and she scoffed as his jeans seemingly grew tighter.

"You don't get it, do you?" Emma snapped at Simon. "Do what you want. I don't care."

She moved back out of the restaurant and Jay followed her with haste, about to demand an explanation before Emma stood still and looked back at him as she rested against the railing looking down onto the first floor of the shopping centre.

"So you think it is okay to use me?" Jay wondered from her. "I don't mind really, but I do want to know why."

"Because I am bored of waiting for him," Emma said. "You were right about him. I know that now...and...God...I do like you, Jay...as more than a friend...I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't. I'm just scared now. I'm scared that everyone is going to treat me like Simon has done. I'm scared that it will happen and I don't know if I can handle that."

Jay looked at her with narrowed eyes, wondering what was going on with her before he shook his head and moved closer to her. He slowly moved his hands to grasp her waist before he looked down at her and saw a small tear in the corner of her eye.

"You know that I won't treat you like he does. I like you, Emma," Jay promised her. "Even Chloe...I liked her...but I think I was trying to kid myself that I liked her more than you..."

"Promise," Emma checked and Jay smirked.

"Promise."

Emma sighed and moved to rest her hands on his shoulders, soothing the white material of his polo shirt.

"Then do we try this?" she wondered and Jay shrugged.

"I'm game if you are."

Emma smiled and moved in to kiss him again, "Game," she whispered before her lips pressed against his.

...

A/N: I know it has been a long time but I suddenly gained inspiration for this story again. So, if anyone is still reading then do let me know what you think!


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